Lust
by Espionage Commitment
Summary: The second installment of the 7DS Evillous Chronicles series. As women are going missing all over the country, Mayu occupies her time hidden away in her house with her husband. However, when everything goes black and she finds herself in a room she's never been in before with a man she has never seen before, Mayu must fight against the supernatural forces imprisoning her.
1. Len and I

**Hey, okay, so. This is the second installment of my (sort of) Evillous Chronicles story. The first installment is Pride, and you probably want to read that first. If you have read it or you just don't care, enjoy.**

The rain pounded hard against my skin, but it still was the nicest I had felt for a long time. Even with the black-looking liquid pouring out my stomach.

At that point, I honestly couldn't feel the wound anymore. My vision slipped in and out of focus as I trudged along the stone roads in darkness, leaning on the blue-haired man next to me.

"We're almost there. Hang on," he encouraged.

I felt like sleeping. I knew I was moving slower than when I started. I was a nurse. I knew when I could faint from blood loss and eventually die. I was way beyond that point, but I still walked.

"Can you tell me your name, yet?" he asked.

I didn't feel like talking, but I barely whispered, "Mayu Kagamine."

"Mayu!" my husband called from our front entrance. "I'm going out to the store! Need anything?"

This was much earlier.

It was summer and the heat was killing me. My husband, Len Kagamine, was suffering equally. The good news, though, was that heat stroke was good for business.

I was a nurse and he was a doctor. Perfect couple, right? We had our disagreements, but nothing to large. Well, maybe one thing, but I was happy and he was too. We met in medical school. Not many people went to medical college, and a woman going was unheard of. I had my ways. Being the only girl in all of my classes made it difficult to gain respect, but I had Len.

Again, being the only girl had its challenges. I was constantly hit on by horny college students who I was surprised passed kindergarten. Len, though, was a gentlemen. I promised myself that I wouldn't date anyone from class, but I made an exception when Len told two (quite large) students to quit sexually harassing me. They punched him in the face. I helped repair his face, and he asked if I would like to have dinner with him. I reluctantly agreed, and the rest went lovely.

He proposed a year later. I accepted immediately. We were both twenty. Now, three years later, we lived in a fairly large town on the outskirts of Derana, my home country. Derana was split into seven dukedoms. I lived in Cercus. There was also Grandor, Julin, Hidli, Sern, Alod, and Venomania…

I would like to say that I was an attractive person. Len said so, but he was my husband. I had light blonde hair that faded into red, blue, green, yellow, and purple at the ends, which reached my lower back, and golden eyes. It was unique, all right. I tended to wear black which was expected for nurses, but I loved adding splashed of red. My black knee high boots were always on.

Len, in my opinion, was very attractive. He had bright yellow hair and beautiful turquois eyes. He was a hair taller than me. He wore a black shirt and brown vest most of the time, expected from doctors. We both ran the best medical clinic in the dukedom out of our home.

"Flour!" I yelled back from the kitchen. "Oh, great," I added as I looked through a window out in the street where a man nailed a paper onto a wood board on a building's side.

"Don't go outside! Bye, bye!" Len shouted, and I heard the front door close.

 _Don't go outside._ I had heard those words for two months then. I, of course, did go outside. Len was very opposed to it though if I was alone. I stopped cutting herbs, waited a few minutes, then walked outside. It was only to be a minute.

I walked across the street to the pinned up paper the man was nailing. It had a list of names. That man pinned one up every week. It was the missing persons list. Every week, there were seven names, all female. Ranging from thirteen to sixty, women had been disappearing from all over Derana without a trace. One a day. It had been going on for two months. They were probably dead. Not one of the missing girls had been found, but Cercus hadn't had many casualties. I began to sigh with relief whenever I saw that one of those names wasn't someone I knew or myself. I stared at the list of the poor girls. Sorry yet relieved.

I jumped when I felt a presence behind me. Swiftly turning around, gave a sigh of relief. A woman my height with bright yellow hair and turquois eyes stood before me.

"Oh my gosh! You scared the heck out of me, Rin!" I shouted. Len's twin sister, Rin, visited a couple times a week. She looked like a female version of Len pretty much. She wore a cute yellow dress and smiled evilly.

"Mwahaha! What are you doing outside all alone?" she said mockingly.

"Says you!" I looked around. No one was in sight. "And you walked a mile!"

"Sh. Don't tell Len," she whispered.

"Of course," I replied. "Let's head in. You never know…"

She nodded and we went back into my house. I brought out some tea, and we sat in the small living room. Rin and I were great friends since we met. She's helped me with understanding Len sometimes because they were always together as kids.

"So. Convinced him yet?" Rin asked.

I sighed. "No," I answered depressed.

"He'll come around. He'll want to be a father someday."

Ah, yes. Children. I wanted a baby. Len didn't want a baby. This was are only major disagreement we had so far. Whenever I brought it up, Len avoided the subject. He said that we were low on money, and he needs my help to run the clinic, but I wanted a baby. Being a mother was part of marriage, and I thought we were ready.

"I'm not sure."

"I know Len," Rin consoled, "He can't deny _you_ anything for too long."

I smiled. It was true. Even though we had our arguments, Len loved me and I loved Len. I wanted that to last for a long time.


	2. Blackout

"Mayu, I'm home!" Len yelled from the front threshold.

"'Kay! Rin's here!" I yelled back.

I heard Len drop his shoes and stomp up the stairs. Since our clinic was on the first floor, our living quarters were on the second. Len opened the door at the top of the stairs that led to our living room.

Smiling at both of us, he kissed Rin on the forehead and me on the lips. I beamed back.

"Got the flour," he said.

"Thanks!" I replied.

"Rin, did you come with anyone?" Len asked.

"Of course!" Rin answered indignant, "I know there's a crazy woman stealer on the loose! I came with Jeffery." Jeffery was her boss. He ran an apothecary on the other side of town.

Len raised his eyebrows. "And where is _Jeffery_ now?"

"He had to leave for business purposes."

"Uh-huh."

"Anyway," Rin shooed the subject away, "I think I'm going to marry Jeffery!"

I choked on my tea. "What?! You said that he was gay!"

"That was just an assumption and besides…" she smiled with fake innocence, "I want a baby since _somebody_ won't give me a niece."

Len sighed. "Thank God. I thought you were serious."

"I am serious! Well, about the whole niece thing. I don't see why you're so stubborn," Rin sipped her tea.

" _I'm_ the stubborn one? This isn't your decision," Len said offensively.

"I know! It's partly _Mayu's,_ though! I'm merely saying what she wants, but is too nervous to talk about."

"That's enough, Rin," I said softly.

"But-"

"Please."

Rin looked at me with understanding and stood up. "I need to get back to work. Mayu, stay safe. Len, not sure what your problem is, but I hope it's a good one." She wrapped her purse around her shoulder and walked out the door, down the stairs, and into the streets.

Len sighed again, gave me an _I'm sorry_ look, and said awkwardly, "We have an appointment in five minutes."

I nodded, never looking at him. I appreciated Rin trying to help, but this was between Len and me. I promised myself that I would ask again tomorrow. I knew he had his reasons, but I knew I didn't know at least one of them. I sucked it up and prepared for our appointment.

The patient came in an hour late. In the free time we had, Len and I played cards on the first floor. The man walked through the door slowly and stumbling. His royal blue hair disheveled and clothes haphazardly put on, he looked like a drunk. We assumed this, and Len told him that we can't cure drunkenness and refuse to serve drunks. The blue-haired man immediately shot up and tried to straighten his hair.

"I'm not a drunk!" he shouted. He didn't slur his words. "My name is Kaito Taro. I scheduled an appointment."

"Our mistake," I stood up and shook his hand. "What is the problem?"

Now that his hair was out of his face, I could see he was quite handsome. He wore a golden ring around his finger. _Married?_ I wondered.

He started to cough violently. Between coughs, Kaito gasped, "Well, you can see."

"Okay. Why don't you sit down here?" Len led him to a long elevated chair against the wall. Next to it was the operating table; we had only had to use it twice.

"When did this start?" Len asked.

"Uh. About a week ago," he replied. I wrote everything down.

We went on with the appointment. It seemed to be just a cold, so we just told him to rest and to not go outside. Something was bothering me, though.

When Kaito was about to leave, I asked, "Is there…something wrong, sir?"

Kaito turned swiftly towards me. "My fiancée went missing more than a month ago. Yes, there is something wrong."

"Oh, I'm sorry sir."

He sighed. "But, I know she's alive. I'm gonna find her."

I smiled at him. "Good luck, then."

"Thank you, Miss Kagamine. And Dr. Kagamine?" he added.

"Yes?" Len asked, watching the scene.

"Hold on to your wife. Don't let her go, or she might not come back."

Len seemed a bit off put, but replied, "Thank you. I'll do that."

Kaito smiled sadly and left.

He left awkwardness in the air, but Len said cheerfully, "Isn't the farmer's market still going on? Maybe we can go there for a little while. Our next appointment isn't for a few more hours."

"I don't know. It seems like it's going to rain, but…" I smiled, "That would be lovely."

The clouds were gathering when we made it to the farmer's market. Len walked especially close to me on the streets. Len bought two waters, and we sat down on a bench.

The market was crowded, all the men exceptionally close to the girls. I stared as a couple walked by with a baby. Len noticed my line of vision.

"You really want a baby, huh?" Len asked.

I nodded.

"I'm sorry. I just don't think it's a good ide-"

I stood up sharply. "Why isn't it a good idea, anyway?!" I shouted.

"Mayu-"

"I don't see why you don't want a baby! We have plenty of time, I can write notes with a baby, we have the money! Why are you so scared?!" I yelled. I felt bad immediately, but I knew this is what I was supposed to say.

People around us started staring. Len remained speechless, and tears started to roll down my cheeks. When Len remained silent, I gave a frustrated scream and stormed off alone.

"Mayu, wait!" Len shouted behind me. "Don't walk off by yourself!"

"Don't follow me!" I replied then ran as fast as I could away. I zigzagged between buildings for what seemed to be five minutes, but when I finally fully opened my eyes, I found myself on the complete opposite end of town. I must have ran three miles. I gasped for breath and started walking back.

I was going to apologize to Len for making a scene, but I couldn't take back what I said. It was the truth. It started to rain, too. As I continued to walk, I noticed someone in a purple cloak walking on the sidewalk across from me. He walked the same pace as me, and when I turned, he also did.

I started to walk faster. He did the same. Eventually at all out run, I turned to see my stalker. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was the man face. Purple eyes, purple hair, and a lustful smile.


	3. When I Woke Up

I opened my eyes.

I then realized that my eyes were already opened. Like coming out of a day dream, I blinked several times. Just a second ago I was walking down the street. Now, I was staring out a glass window. The scene slowly came into focus.

Outside, people crowded the large stone streets, covered in snow. I was on the third floor of something. My eyes followed a yellow head walking away quickly. _Len?_

"Mayu! What did I say about going to close to windows~" A male voice from behind me sang.

I felt my feet against the floor. I was standing. Turning around, I apologized cheerfully, "Sorry, Master!"

I blinked. Why did I just call him master? It seemed so natural, like I said it a thousand times before. I blinked again, realizing what I was looking at. _WHY IS THERE A MAN COMPLETELY NAKED IN FRONT OF ME?!_

There was a girl beside him, naked as well but putting on a small pinkish white night dress with black lace across the sweet-heart neckline. The purple-haired man looked seductively as the equally purple-haired girl finished and started skipping to a hallway to the left.

"Come on, Mayu!" she called.

I followed, not quite sure why. It just felt...natural like when calling the man "Master". I was a little cold and discovered what I was wearing. Looking down, I could see right down my dress. I wore a more revealing around the chest version of Yuka's outfit. Shuddering, I wasn't sure what I felt and decided to assess the situation whenever we were reaching our destination. We made rights and lefts. The stone walls seemed to be a fortress or something. It was huge and ornate paintings decked the halls. I noticed that I wasn't following Yukari. I was walking alongside her. _Wait._ I thought. _How did I know her name?_

Utterly confused, my footsteps faltered. Yukari, _(we call her Yuka, right?),_ looked curiously at me, but continued. We reached an opening in the hall that revealed a stone staircase leading downward. I nearly slipped down them.

There were so many questions, and I started to panic. _Where am I? How did I get here? Who was that man? Why was he naked? Who is this girl? Why am I wearing this outfit? Why does it seem like I know this place and these people? Where is Len? Have I been kidnapped? What's at the end of this staircase?_

The questions ached my mind. Yuka, who was slightly ahead of me since only one person can fit at a time, stopped abruptly. Nearly tripping again, I stopped too. We were at a wooden door with two iron bars across it. Yuka knocked four times. I heard a key slip into a lock, and the door opened.

A woman with long turquoise hair appeared and let us in. She, too, was wearing a longer version of Yuka's outfit. Finally in the room, I couldn't help but gasp.

Girls. So many girls. Approximately, three hundred if I had to guess. They were all in a giant room with a little light coming in from small glassed one-inch wide windows near the low ceiling. Most were sleeping, all were wearing some variation of the black lace outfit. Some were sitting and talking like in a trance. Miku's _(how do I know her name)_ eyes narrowed at my confusion. I quickly recovered and stepped gingerly across the colossal room, following Yuka, trying to not step on anyone.

Yuka found a clear spot on the ground, only enough room for one. I looked around lazily, trying to act like the others, and saw a place nearby next to one of the slit windows. My mind first wandered to Len. Yet another question, _Did I just see him in the window?_

I sat down and found the floor freezing. There were two sleeping girls next to me. One with short red hair and a long outfit and one with short green hair with possibly the smallest outfit I had seen. _WHAT. IS. HAPPENING?_

A chill ran down my spine, and I examined the window. On my knees, I could barely see out of; it was so small. I could just see the outside. Half of the window was covered by earth. We seemed to be just below ground level. Another third of it was covered by snow. _Wait, snow?_

We had people flooding into our clinic just yesterday for heatstroke. _How is it snowing? How much time has passed? Was it winter? How could it be winter? It was summer twenty minutes ago!_

Questions, questions, questions. So few answers. I tried to calm my breathing so no one became suspicious. _Suspicious of what?_ I shook my head. How could I know so much and so little about this place!

I thought I smelled something. _What is this?_ I thought. It seemed to be sweat and…laxative? How gagged. Was that why my feet were slippery? That man…did I…?

My eyes filled with tears, but I shut them in. _Not yet. We don't know anything yet._ I needed to figure out what was happening. Like the too organized nurse I was, I made a checklist.

 _Where am I?_

 _When did I wake up?_

 _Who are these people?_

 _Why am I here?_

 _How did I get here?_

 _What have I been doing here?_

The rest would come with those. Taking a deep breath, I looked out the window again. The remaining sixth was foggy, but I could make out passing feet and buildings beyond. I squinted my eyes. There was a flag blowing on the side of the nearest building. I could just make out the symbol...

My head snapped back, I swiftly sat down. Looking back and forth in case someone saw me, I tried to comprehend what I just saw. The flag had a black shield with a purple snake wrapped around it. That was a crest of a dukedom. I was in Venomania.


	4. Mishap

My back against the wall, panic started to set in. I was in Venomania. Hundreds of miles away from my home and Len…

All the girls before me were fast asleep now. That was a good thing. I couldn't stand to look into their cold eyes anymore. Only the sound of breathing broke the silence. Barely any light showed through the windows. I seemed to have remained against the wall for a long time. It only felt like a few seconds. The red-haired girl was the closest. _What was her name?_

I contemplated attempting to speak with her, but a part of my body recoiled at the thought. Obviously, they weren't in their right mind.

I rummaged through my memory. Everything was cloudy and blurred. Just, the purple man. _Gakupo_ my mind told me. Gakupo with a cloak on then Gakupo without a cloak on or anything for that matter. I concentrated on right after I saw Gakupo. Just as the blurred images began to come into focus, a blistering headache pierced my skull.

I immediately covered my mouth so I wouldn't scream. Only a small gasp for breath was let out. My eyes bolted back and forth, looking for a sign of stirring. My eyes soon got heavy as the pain surged through my body. Whispers echoed through my head.

 _Sleep. Sleep. Isn't Gakupo so kind? Yes, so kind and so thoughtful. You should sleep so you can be with him. Come on. Sleep. SLEEP._

I forced my eyes open, grasping onto a stone on the wall. Using all the concentration and fortitude I had in me, I held back the enclosing lies. I chanted Len's name in my mind to block them out. My body was on the verge of exploding when, as suddenly as it came, the pain stopped.

I sucked in air. _It stopped. Thank God that it stopped._ Some girls started to rouse awake again, but only a few. I counted nineteen in all, including the red-haired and green-haired girls next to me. Their dead eyes wandered aimlessly.

I jumped when the enforced wooden door clanked open. It was Miku. She held a candle in her right hand.

With a monotonous voice, Miku called, "Come."

The girls who woke up stood slowly and started to walk whimsically to the staircase. I spotted Yuka and hesitantly stood up with the rest. Another girl stood even more hesitantly and obviously. She had dark blonde hair and a long lace outfit. My eyes brightened. _She must have her senses, too!_

Perhaps, too obviously. All the other awake girls pivoted toward her. I awkwardly did the same. The girl's eyes widened, and she started stepping backwards, terrified.

"Help. Help. HELP ME! WHAT'S GOING ON?! PLEASE HELP ME!" the girls stepped closer, me following. "WHERE AM I?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! PLEASE, ANYONE?!" _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

Miku stepped faster than the others. The girl screamed at the top of her lungs. Miku pursued like a pouncing cat.

"PLEASE!" she pleaded as Miku dragged her across unfaltering, sleeping women.

"PLEASE! My name is Sharon Hailston. I have a family. Please, stop," Sharon pleaded. "My brother. He lives in Julin. He doesn't know where I am. He'll be worried! PLEASE!" she screamed again, flailing her arms. "ANYONE! PLEASE!"

Her screams echoed up the stairs. A truly terrifying scream rung in the air. I closed my eyes just short enough to pass as a blink. _I'm so sorry that I couldn't help you, Sharon. I'll go to your brother when I escape._

Escape? Who said anything about escaping?

 _Well, you have to, obviously. To go back to Len._

I was jolted out of my thoughts by the sound of shifting feet. The girls were moving out.

Since I wasn't immediately attacked by the surprisingly strong zombie girls, I assumed I was supposed to follow the select few. Walking drowsily, we all went up the stairs and into the hall. I tailing behind everyone else.

Our bare feet sounded awkward against the marble floors. The other nineteen walked dreamily but with purpose. I studied them until we reached our destination.

The dining room was beautiful. If it wasn't for my situation, I would be fully admiring the gorgeous chandeliers and crystal vases going straight down the middle of the mahogany table. There were twenty-one seats in total for the other girls, me, and one other. I could guess who that one other would be.

The seats slowly became filled. I moved as slowly as possible down one column until all the chairs were taken except for one next to Yuka and the especially extravagant one at the head of the table. I slipped into the chair next to Yuka, and the room waited.

Gakupo walked in from the opposite end of the dining room.

Arms outstretched, Gakupo smiled and exclaimed, "Hello, ladies~!"

"Hello, Master Gakupo!" everyone replied at the same time, including me (Once again, it felt natural).

He was wearing a long purple jacket that flowed behind him as he walked. A cravat was tucked into his black vest. His aura screamed wealth and whispered political power just loud enough to scare you.

Walking swiftly, he pulled out the throne at the head of the table and sat down like he was eating with kings.

"I hope all of you had great day~" Gakupo cooed in that always flirting voice. "How was your day, Miku~?"

"Fantastic," she answered and brought her perfect aqua hair to her back. She sat to Gakupo's left, a place of honor, it would seem. "But, sir, Sharon has a little mishap."

"Oh, I see," Gakupo continued seriously, "And was she able to be…reinforced?"

"Sadly, no, sir. She was particularly adamant."

"That is a shame," he answered in fake mourning, "Anyway! How about we eat now, yes~? And Miku, I'm sure you disposed our problem properly?"

"Of, course, sir, it has been thoroughly taken care of."

"Great~!"

I twitched ever so slightly. Everyone was too busy beaming at Gakupo to notice. _Remained adamant? Reinforced? Disposed?_

 _Where am I, and how long can I keep this act up?_


	5. Surviving Day 1

The train screeched to a stop, momentarily overlapping the disorderly crowd of people on the platform. Smoke filled the lungs of the businessmen, travelers, and beggars. The crew member in front of me, wearing a navy blue uniform and squared off hat, looked at me suspiciously as I repeated my question.

"Do you remember a woman with light, nearly white, really, blonde hair that faded into, um, green, blue, purple, red, yellow…?" He continued to stare at me, confused.

"How long ago was this, again?" He asked.

I told him the exact date that burned into my memory.

"That's a long time ago, Mr.…?"

"Kagamine," I answered, "Len Kagamine."

The man sighed deep and long, "I can't remember every passenger I've ever seen, Mr. Kagamine. How do you expect me to-"

"All of your coworkers told me you had the best memory in Derana, sir," I cut him off.

The man smirked, "That may be true, but it would take me a while to find one particular person that long ago-"

"Please!" I pleaded, "This is for a police case."

The man raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really. And what case would that be?"

"The Harem Disappearances…sir," I said firmly.

His face grew deadly serious and considered me for a moment. He looked me up and down, saw I was serious too, and replied, "It might take a while, but I'll remember. I promise you that."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

I awkwardly began eating the abundance of food in front of me.

The room, tinted yellow by candlelight, was full of chatter. Half of the table talked to each other about how great their master is, how kind, thoughtful, and humble he is. The other side was listening intensely to Gakupo's every word. They laughed at his insulting jokes as he rambled about his day.

I was near the center, but just far enough to the right to not be required to listen intently to Gakupo's day. Thank God for that. Miku was on the left of him and Gumi on the right. _Ha! Gumi, that's her name._

Miku seemed to be the head… _slave_ I assumed. She bossed us around and was regarded highly by Gakupo. It made me wonder how Gumi _had the honor_ of sitting at his right side, even more important than the left.

The food was delicious; there were perfectly cooked roast, freshly baked bread, a large variety of vegetables, and fruit. The girls who served the food were wearing an apron version of our lace outfits, _only_ wearing the aprons, that is. Every bite I took, I had to immediately keep myself from throwing up. It was disgusting. He was disgusting.

I focused my energy on Gakupo, not his boring day or his glorious attributes, but on his name.

 _Gakupo. Gakupo. I've heard that name before._ I pondered. His face and name seemed obvious, like he was an important person before I was taken there. I wanted to bang my head against a wall. It was on the tip of my tongue. What was he? He's rich. He's in Venomania. He's not the king. He must be…

 _Duke._

I dropped my fork. It clattered against my plate like a bell. All the girls turned towards me sinisterly. I remained frozen.

"Anyway, I told him that if he wanted the funding-" Gakupo resumed unwavering.

The women seemed to have noticed Gakupo's ignorance (they would probably call it understanding) and continued on their conversations.

I gulped and resumed also. After a minute, Yuka ended her ravishing conversation with an orange-haired woman and turned to me.

"Mayu. Aren't you excited for Friday?" Yuka asked cheerfully.

I smiled realistically, "I can't wait!"

"It's going to be _so_ refreshing!" Yuka went on.

"I've been waiting so long!" I added.

Yuka looked slightly suspicious, but then shook it off. "Yeah, a week feels like eternity. I totally know how you feel!"

She turned back to her food, so did I. Keeping the fake smile plastered to my face was harder than I thought.

I began to think again about Gakupo. _Duke of Venomania. Of course!_ I remembered seeing him when he traveled the dukedoms years beforehand. _Oh no. I've been kidnapped by a duke. A very, very, very powerful duke._

Tears began to swell in my eyes, but I forced them down. _Just survive the dinner. Just survive the dinner._

My wish was granted when a ten minutes later, after dessert of course, Gakupo fared us well, and we walked out of the dining room so slowly I thought I was going to explode if I stayed a minute longer.

We started to walk down the way we went. I thought I could stay in the center of the pack this time, since I already knew the way, but I was surprised when we made a right turn down a narrow hallway when we had to go left. We walked on and on until we made it to a door at the end of the hall. Miku opened it and went inside. I caught a glance at the inside. _Oh great. We even have a scheduled time to go to the bathroom._

After doing what needs to be done, we walked back and this time the way I memorized. I stepped over the girls to my spot by the window. The moon was definitely out, now. Gumi and Meiko (the red-haired one I recalled) laid down comfortably near me. I felt slightly confident after living through my first day.

I looked around again before I decided to attempt to get some sleep. There were crumbs scattered about the floor in some areas. _Did the others have to eat here, off the floor?_ I completely forgot about them. How come I came to my senses and the others didn't? I wasn't sure if I should be envious or not.

That is when my confidence drained. I was still stuck there. Gakupo still _defiled_ me most likely. I was still alone. And I still didn't know the half of how things were going to be for the next who knew how long.


	6. Welcome

I didn't realize how tired I was the night before until I woke up at noon. I could tell it was noon because when I strained my neck up the window, rays of sunlight illuminated from where I assumed was the top of the castle. Hence, I deduced that my wall faced east. If my memory was better than my modesty then east faced Cercus, faced Len.

I took that to heart and sharply turned around as the single entrance to the basement clinked open. Since most of the girls were sleeping, I slammed my face to the floor, closed my eyes, and attempted to ease my breathing.

Two sets of footsteps echoed across the stone (barefoot, of course), and the entrance crashed behind them. My body tensed as they grew louder and nearer. One of the entities stood right next to me. She (I assumed a she because who else would be here?) crouched down then slid her feet under her, so she was sitting.

The girl farther away spoke, "Welcome, I hope we'll be seeing you more often, Mei." The voice was Miku's.

"Me too!" The second voice replied.

I heard Miku walk to the door, open it, but before she closed it, she announced "Meiko, it's your turn."

Another body resting next to me stood up, walked to the threshold, and exited with Miku. Mei smoothed the stone floor and laid down to rest. Upon hearing her calm breathing, I deemed it safe to open my eyes.

A teenager with dark brown hair and a newly sewn black lace dress appeared in front of me. My eyes darted to the left where Meiko's spot laid empty. Slowly, I sat up and eyed the room again. Several girls at the far side of the room were awake and talking dreamily. They took me no notice.

I exhaled and rubbed my face. It wasn't such a great idea to slam my skull to the ground after all. I could feel my cheek's flared skin and a small cut near the eye. It didn't hurt that much, and I felt that I needed to assess my situation again after all the new information I received the night before and just now.

The answer to one of my questions were relatively clear now. I could safely say _where_ I was. I seemed to be in the castle of the Duke of Venomania _in_ Venomania. I didn't recall how I arrived there or why I didn't remember anything from the past long period of time. A new girl arrived that morning, and since I could smell laxative on Mei, I assumed she just had a run-in with Gakupo. _DUH!_

I face-palmed myself which drew a little attention from some of the women. I quickly recovered and stared gloomily off into space. They were satisfied and continued their conversations. Calming down, I resumed my train of thought.

 _We must be the girls that have been going missing for two months…or however long it has been now…_ It seemed so obvious at that point, but I was jolted out of my thoughts when the entrance once again hinged open.

The apron girls came in with trays of sandwiches. They dispersed throughout the room, rousing the women awake. Every time they handed a girl a sandwich, they asked, "Name?" the girl then told her their name, received their lunch, and began eating. The apron girl moved onto the next girl and the cycle continued.

When one reached me and asked me my name, I said airily, "Mayu."

She smiled and handed me a larger sandwich than the rest I'd seen her give, and she did that for Gumi as well. The sandwich still was quite small, though. You wouldn't want your mistresses becoming fat, would you?

I choked it down, feeling the sensation of holding down vomit once again. I watched the servers' bare backs, legs, and behinds strut out. The prisoners one by one started falling asleep again. That's when it came the second time.

My head split open and I grasped my skull. My first reaction was, of course, _Oh my gosh, I'm in so much pain help._ But, then I worried about the other residents, too. A cloud covered the sun, and it was darker than usual. No girls particularly near me was awake. I tried to settle down. No one saw me yet. I thanked God for the clouds and the part of the spell that made these women increasingly idiotic.

But, I had other problems at the moment that was yet to be solved, _my face was trying to explode._

The thoughts started again as well. _Sleep. Sleep. You useless swine! Sleep._ I shut them out with immense effort. Was is just me or had the headache grown even more painful since yesterday?

And, just like the day before, it stopped a few minutes later without warning.

*********  
I wished dinner was less arduous than the first one, but I was disappointed.

The apron ladies came out again, the table was split between boring conversations again, and the food was delectable if it wasn't for the whole sex slave thing _again._

I spoke with Yuka once or twice vaguely. Everyone went to the bathroom ( _thank God_ ), preceded down the staircase, and began to sleep again.

 _What a meaningful existence,_ I thought. Sleep, eat, sex, repeat. Between lunch and dinner, several other girls were called up by Miku and came back a little while later with their hair disheveled and their outfits even more loosely strewn on.

I pondered Yuka. She was the first girl I met there. We sat together at meals. Was she my _friend?_ My _partner?_ I shivered at the thought. My mind kept returning to how Len would react if he knew what was going on. The realization that I had been hypothetically raped slapped me in the face. Raped how many times, I didn't know. _Len…_ I missed him so much and wished that he would save me from my increasingly dire situation.


	7. Friday

My third day that I remembered started the same as the second. I slept for too long, another girl was welcomed into the dungeon, and I silently ate lunch alongside the other prisoners.

I had a lot of time to think. The possibility of escaping seemed impossible, but I had to keep an eye open. Any idea that came to mind just sounded suicidal, but I needed to find a way out. The only other options were fall back into the possession like the others or wait for someone on the outside to liberate us.

 _How would they liberate us, anyhow?_ I wondered. Killing him, I supposed was the only likely option. Either that or Gakupo freeing us himself and _that's_ never going to happen. I realized how little I knew about this place and these people.

What continued to haunt me was the possession. How could a man hypnotize hundreds of girls to do his bidding? How was it possible for a single glance to captivate a woman to the point of leaving her husband, family, and home to end up _here?_

And there were so many others. So many other girls ripped from their lives to be the pleasure of a single man's vulgarity. It was mad. It was impossible. _How?_ HOW COULD SOMEONE DO THIS? How could someone even _think_ about doing this? No one human can do this, no one human can want to do this, no one human lived under the Duke of Venomania's rook anymore. Only monsters and puppets.

I tossed around thoughts back and forth, trying to fill the silence in my mind when the door to the basement opened. All the girls looked at the smiling Miku, a board of wood with a paper and pencil on top in hand.

Miku widened her smile and exclaimed, "Happy Friday, everyone!"

All the slaves cheered, including me belatedly. Miku continued, "Come on, then! Top twenty, first of course."

I rose with the other twenty favorites and stumbled to the stairs with them. We along with Miku walked up the steep stone stairs. This time, we took a left when we reached the archway to the hall. I had never been that part of the castle before in my limited memory. I tried to soak in as much of the layout as possible.

We walked and walked down the hall. Two hallways branched off the main one, and eventually we made it to a throne room.

It was a huge space with barely anything in it. There was a wooden throne with a red velvet cushion in the center of the room. We came in slightly farther back than the chair. Other than that, the checkered floors were pretty much empty except for marble pillars reaching the ground and ornate wall decorations. I supposed it was also a ballroom. I wondered how many girls were swept away by Gakupo at a ball, wondering if she could see this handsome man again sometime. Little did they know…

We stepped across the empty space and made it to another hallway directly across from the one we just exited. We abruptly made a left turn, and I found myself in a gleaming, bright room with white tile floors and a significant amount of bathtubs.

 _Oh, don't you dare. PLEASE, don't tell me that-_

"Hello, my sweet Jezebels!~"

 _Oh, HELL no._

I turned and Gakupo, a bath towel around his waist. It took all my strength not to throw up. _This is not happening. This is NOT happening._

Oh, but it was.

Around me, girls were taking off their clothes. Gakupo smirked his little mischievous smile like he was a kid in a candy store.

 _No, no, no, no, no. I have a husband, therefore NO. I refuse to show my body to any other man. Please, please, no._

Nearly everyone was done, and I panicked. I couldn't draw suspicion to myself, though. There would be no point in escaping if I was dead. I would never see Len again and…

 _I'm so sorry, Len…_

I swallowed my shame and slowly pulled down the straps of my gown.

******  
I fought with my tears as I sat down in a tub with one other girl, Yuka. There were ten tubs in all and two girls crouched in each. Already filled with water, they began to wash…each other.

The overwhelming urge to vomit hit me once again. This mansion of horrors ceased to disgust me in new, inventive ways.

I looked away from everyone except Yuka, seeing as how I was forced to do that. I ignored the giggled and frankly disturbing noises echoing in the tiled room.

Shivering, I picked up a soap, dipped it in water and began.

This continued for what seemed like an eternity, but what I dreaded the most was when Gakupo finally made it to our tub.

I looked up at him and strenuously smiled in the naïve fashion he was accustomed. I felt like drowning myself every second he looked at my body. His gaze flickered to my cheek.

He gasped overdramatically, "What happened to your face, Mayu?"

It took me a minute to realize what he was saying. I blinked and upon realizing, I said something off the top of my head.

"I-uh- tripped over Mei in the basement yesterday because I forgot she was new and all." I laughed awkwardly.

Gakupo's eyes narrowed. "Really? Yuka, did you see this?"

Yuka turned to Gakupo. "Oh, yes. I saw that happen."

Gakupo's apprehensiveness disappeared at her reassurance. "Of, course. I'm so sorry I doubted you, Mayu~."

He kissed me passionately, and I started to freak out on the inside.

 _LEN, I'M SO SORRY. LEN, I'M SO SORRY._

He pulled away, and I gave him another clenched smile. I wasn't sure at the time, but it seemed like for a brief moment, his violet eyes turned a violent red. He walked off, and I turned back to Yuka and we continued our charade.

 _Why would Yuka lie to Gakupo's face?_


	8. An Ally

Though my body was finally scrubbed clean from who-knows-what, I never felt dirtier. I, of course, didn't know the worst had yet to come.

Along with the other unfortunate nineteen girls, I walked back through the endless halls, paying less attention to every detail I could muster. I only numbly thought of Len. It felt as if heavy chains weighed me down as I finally reached the basement.

My attention was averted from self-pity to Yuka as she, instead of sitting where she usually does, sat next to me by the window. I remembered how she lied to Gakupo's face and how _smoothly_ she did it.

We waited a moment for the next group of girls to exit the room to go to their Friday bath. The favorites fell right to sleep. You could say that Yuka and I were alone in a sense.

I ceased staring off into space, deeming it safe to trust Yuka. I wasn't sure why, but it seemed like I had met her before. Before capture? I wasn't sure. Just somewhere.

I slowly turned my head toward the purple-haired girl next to me. She did the same. She raised her eyebrows. I had never seen one of these girls do that before, so I hesitantly nodded.

"You're awake?" Yuka barely whispered. I strained my ears to hear her.

I nodded again.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Seriously," I mimicked the barely audible whisper.

She gave a relieved yet tired smile, like she had been waiting a long time to speak. I smiled too. Yuka's eyes were unlike any I had seen for the past few days. They were a bright purple and full of life, but they were also filled with pain. She moved swiftly instead of someone half asleep. She spoke to me in a normal, if quiet, voice. Another living, breathing, aware person who hasn't been stupid and given herself away. _There's someone else awake. I can't believe there is someone else!_ We could team up to escape or at least keep each other sane-

"I don't have much time," Yuka said suddenly, now gravely serious.

My smile faded.

She continued, "How long have you been awake?"

I thought a moment, then lifted up three fingers.

"Hours?" Yuka questioned.

I shook my head, then whispered, "Days."

She looked at me in disbelief. "Days?"

I nodded.

"How…?"

I rose my eyebrows, indicating _Explain._

"Is this your first time waking up?"

I nodded.

She shook her head again, not believing what I had said. "Do you get headaches?"

I nodded.

"And you…got through them?"

Again, I nodded.

Suddenly, Yuka grasped my hands. I was so surprised I wanted to let out a shriek, but Yuka covered my mouth.

"Listen, very closely," she spoke quickly and urgently. "This is the third time I have woken up. I stay up for about four hours and then there is the headache. Once, I made through one and lived another day, that's when I learned about what's going on. But, then the headache came again, much worse. I couldn't take it anymore and slipped back into the sleep. But, you have made it through two. You're very strong. Don't give in to the temptation of sleep. Whatever you do, stay awake, even when worse things happen to you. Stay. Awake. For me, for everyone here. And, when there is an opportunity, escape. Get help. Free us all. Please, Mayu. That's your name, right? Mayu. Promise you will stay awake."

I took a moment, absorbing her task. I didn't believe I was capable of that responsibility, but I couldn't burden anyone else with it either. I took a deep breath and replied. "I promise."

Yuka saw my sincerity and said, "Thank you. I don't have much to help you with, but I know that the king of Derana will be visiting the mansion in three weeks from today. There's your opportunity. If you explain to the king what is going on, then I'm sure he'll free us. Do you understand?"

I gulped and nodded. _Three weeks? I am supposed to ward off this impossible curse for three weeks? Be away from Len and endure this torture for three more weeks?_ It was better than remaining there for the rest of my life.

"I'm sure if there are others who have or will wake for moments like me. Don't trust anyone unless you're one-hundred percent sure, okay?"

Then, the piercing pain in my head shocked me out of my thoughts. My vision was blurred by the pain, but I could see Yuka clenching her skull, too. She gave me one last _I'm putting my life in your hands_ look and fell to the ground, asleep.

Meanwhile, the voices in my head whispered to me again. _You're a stubborn one, aren't you? Sleep. You want the pain to end, right? Sleep, then, it'll be all over if you just sleep._

I shook my head. This was indeed worse than the two days before. Would it grow even more every day? _Three weeks._

 _I PROMISED!_ I wanted to scream. _I PROMISED YUKA I WON'T GIVE IN. I PROMISED LEN I WOULD BE HIS WIFE 'TIL I DIE, AND I'M NOT DEAD YET!_

The pain mercifully stopped. I gasped for breath then forced my lungs to act normal as the batch of girls came back in, freshly clean.

This time, I really was sleepy not from the curse, but merely from exhaustion. I fell to the floor and my eyes slowly drooped down.

I thought of the mission I had been given. Yuka, she trusted me with all she had left. I couldn't let her down or anyone else down. I was sure that they were all good. They didn't deserve this. Yuka didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve this. This eternal sleep that would possess them for their lifetimes will have to be stopped. Was I really capable of such things?

The last thing I saw before the blissful rest was Yuka, her eyes open again, but in faded expression she fought to escape from.


	9. Red Eyes

I wish I could say that the next four days became easier.

Thankfully, there weren't any surprises that threatened revealing my awareness. No weird bath sessions, no particularly suspicious glances, everything seemed to be my horrid new normal. I still went to dinner with the other girls. I found it harder and harder to look innocently at Gakupo. I honestly could say, even then, that I hated him. I hated him more than I hated anyone in my life and anyone I would hate for the rest of it.

The blistering headaches, just as Yuka predicted, worsened every day, but I think I became slightly stronger every day as well. Mostly, I slept. There was even a point on Tuesday night that I thought I could do this for two and a half more weeks.

I could have cried. I could have cried and cried for hours and days. But, I couldn't afford wallowing in self-pity. That would solve nothing. I really wanted to, though.

No remnant of Yuka's temporary sanity appeared again for those couple days. I understood, of course, but it was increasingly upsetting, not having anyone to talk to. I didn't realize how much I missed talking until I did so with Yuka.

The thought repeatedly on my mind, though, was Len. I just couldn't stop thinking about him. I missed him. I missed my husband so deeply.

When Wednesday started, I thought it was going to be another "normal" day. It occurred to me that, after today, I would have spent an entire week in this horrific place. That was troubling yet oddly satisfying, knowing that I had survived seemingly longer than anyone else had.

It didn't occur to me that last Wednesday, I only awoke after I was with Gakupo and Yuka, doing _something._

But, at the time, all was as well as it could ever be in that dank basement of terrors.

I ate lunch, uncomplaining and stoic, and wondered why the daily supply of a woman hadn't arrived yet. Thus far, they all came before lunch. I waited a few hours. For some reason, I couldn't drift off as easily as I could for the past week like something was urging me to stay awake. I found that odd since I've never felt the influence of this mansion tell me that before.

At around five pm, I heard my name. I never thought I would loath my own name so much.

I was dozing off, thinking of a random instance years ago that no one remembers but me. Miku opened the heavily latched door like she did about seven times a day. Then, she called two names.

"Mayu and Yuka! You're up."

In that moment, I wanted to run up to Miku and strangle her. I could have if it wasn't for the small army of girls who are a lot stronger than they look.

I knew what was going to happen. My naivety of the passing week hit me like a brick. _Of course. I'm one of his favorites. Why did I have to be one of his favorites?_

Numbly, I stood up with Yuka and walked to the door, up the stairs, and followed Yuka to somewhere I had never been before, not even in the very beginning. We went up another flight of stairs, I was already breathless. We found ourselves in a large darkened room, a very large bed in the center. Decadent armoires, to-the-ceiling mirrors, posh chairs, and oak tables filled the space. And, in the middle of the bed, was Gakupo, wearing some weird one piece leather suit that showed off his chest and thighs.

I nearly gagged.

"Long time no see~" Gakupo chirped.

 _Oh please, PLEASE, tell me that he isn't into role play._ I knew what was to come. It was probably going to be the most painful thing mentally in my life, but it could go all the worse if I have to start _role playing._

"How about we do the maid sisters, tonight?~" he pulled out two maid costumes.

 _Shit._

******  
The next hour was an onslaught of venomous pleasure.

Don't get me wrong, _this_ was _not_ pleasurable to me. _By no means_ was this in the _slightest_ sense _pleasurable_ to _me._ As soon as he began, I would have rather hanged myself than see Gakupo's face ever again in my life. _But,_ I made a promise. No matter how bad I wanted to break it, I could never.

I would have completely deleted this memory from my conscience if it wasn't for two rather alarming things: what happened _during_ and what happened _after._

The details were very blurred (thank God), but what I remember was as we reached the…climax, I literally started gagging. I wanted out. I didn't care if I died anymore, just get me _out._

But, Gakupo didn't notice. I found this surprising. I never met his eyes during this whole situation, but I had to that once. His normally poisonous violet eyes were a glowing red. His pupils were like cats. I could swear that I stared into the eyes of a demon.

Yuka, at the time, was staring at herself in the mirror, also not noticing my sudden urge to vomit.

His eyes turned back to purple, and he smile at me. I averted his gaze and gave a large _believable_ smile back. It felt like my lips were betraying Len.

 _Len._ The constant weight on my shoulders. I was now the vessel of infidelity all these other girls were. I guess I have been for a long time. _I wonder if Len has already moved on…_

The second scathingly memorable moment was right after I was done putting my small lingerie back on, feeling completely worthless.

The door to the bedroom opened slowly. Part of me thought that it could be a savior, but no, far from it.

A beautiful girl with long pink hair entered, wearing a doctor's over coat. I didn't have to wait for her name.

It was Luka, my old friend from college.


	10. Shadow of a Smile

That was the day. The worst day of my life. As it drew to a close in the darkened basement of the manor of the Duke of Venomania, I couldn't stop crying.

I finally broke and the tears I had been holding in for a week were let out in one sitting. After the most agonizing dinner, I had numbly sat down in my signature spot, looked out the window, and waited. Waited and cried. I waited for someone, anyone to let me out. I didn't want to be the savior anymore. When the headache came, I found myself slipping into a forced sleep. _No more. I can't take it anymore…_

My vision blurred. I was going to obey the whispered voices in my head. I wanted to _sleep._

Even in my hazy sight, something caught my eye.

I clenched my teeth, feeling slightly more awake. Something white was sticking out from a crack in between the stones of the wall. It hadn't been there before. It was enough to postpone my suicidal thoughts.

I grasped the wall, now concentrating on enduring the ever growing pain. A minute later, it stopped. I gasped for breath. Some girls stirred. I shut my trap and focused on the protruding white paper, I could now see, from the stone.

My arm shook as I reached out to snag the parchment. It was folded into a card horizontally. It was in pristine condition despite being shoved through the rock. Holding it made me have the oddest feeling of _déjà vu._ I couldn't understand why. I slowly opened the card.

There was only a single symbol written on the bottom half. An intricate cursive number _2,_ written in dark purple ink.

I immediately threw it to the ground. My instinct felt _unnerved._ Feeling like a fool, I stared down at the paper. _Why am I so afraid of it? How did it even get here?_

I was only certain that it definitely wasn't there before. My heart ached for another headache so I could go to the sleep I was interrupted from moments ago. I decided to let go tomorrow.

********  
It was tomorrow. I was antsy at my decision to kiss the whole savior thing goodbye that day. _How can anyone expect me to do that anyway?_ I thought that afternoon. _You can't just dump that on someone's shoulders. Stupid Yuka!_

I hesitantly looked over to where she sat, gazing into nothingness. I felt a pang against my heart. I _had_ promised her that I would stay. And I didn't want that on anybody else's shoulders either. The nurse inside me couldn't pass that pain on to someone else.

Then again, I wouldn't have to endure that torture Gakupo tainted me with, awake, again. I wouldn't want to cry whenever my mind wandered to Len because I wouldn't think of Len, I would just be…gone.

This tore at my soul. _I won't remember Len again…_

My thoughts were interrupted by the familiar opening of the wood and iron door. I assumed that Miku was there just to state the next victim in Gakupo's exploits. Luka wasn't in the basement; she had often been gone in the past day. _Three…Four times?_ Something like that. It seemed to me that Gakupo found a new favorite. My old friend from medical college, Luka.

As if echoing my deductions, Miku announced as Luka came in next to her, "I have an announcement!" All the girls woke up like a bucket of ice water was poured on their backs. "Gakupo has selected a new favorite! Luka Megurine. She will now receive all benefits of the twenty."

This somewhat unfazed me. It wasn't a good thing, but at least she would be fed more than the others, but Miku went on.

"She shall replace Yuzuki Yukari. This is in effect immediately. Thank you." She exited and Luka sat in a place next to me with a huge smile plastered to her face.

I looked over to Yuka. At first, one would see that she is unaltered by this news, but as I concentrated harder on her features, she looked a little perplexed and upset.

My old partner and first ally (no…first _friend_ ) since my capture was now demoted it seemed. Did that mean Luka was to be my new partner?

I didn't want that. I _knew_ her before all of this.

She was always cheerful and always with a book in her hands. Not the measly 300 page ones, either. The big, _fat_ ones. She was also my roommate. No one dared flirt with her since her brawny boyfriend was in the military. I received a letter one day after college that said she was marrying him. I even attended the wedding as a bride's maid. I remembered how elated she was when I told her I finally got a date with someone in college-Len.

 _"Oh my gosh! Are you serious? That has made my year, YES! I see you've finally seen the error of your ways. You better not screw this up for yourself!"_

I smiled, recalling how she smiled that day. Then, I looked at her and she had a different smile. It wasn't hers. It was merely a shadow.

I found myself crying again. I faced such sadness, but I stopped sobbing silently. A strange, new feeling started filling me up. Not self-pity or depression, but pure, precious fury.

 _How dare you steal her smile, you bastard?_ I brooded, _How dare you take Len away from me? How dare you take everything away from me? How could you? How do you do it? YOU DEMON!_

I wanted to scream. My still tear-stained face turned twisted by hatred and I made my resolve.

 _I will never cry again because of you,_ I vowed, _And I will kill you. I will stab you myself if I have to, Ga-ku-po-sa-ma._

My expression morphed into a complying smile as Miku walked in announcing dinner. Part of that smile was true. _Oh, no, no, no. You're not getting rid of me quite yet._


	11. Escape!

_23 days._

I had been counting, and just to be sure, I used my absurdly long finger nails to scratch into my favorite stone wall tally marks, for every day of misery.

But, it was soon to be over. It had been three weeks since I talked to Yuka. Yes, I survived three weeks ( _23 days, I reminded myself_ ) of Gakupo. More than anyone else even dreamed of accomplishing, I presumed. If anyone else had as well, I commended them whole-heartedly. I was left pitiful, yet satisfied with this horrible, wonderful feat. For, that day, I would do it. I would liberate the grown population of girls! I would no longer have to endure this torture. I would talk to the king of all of Derana-King Joffrey the third.

As the day wore on tediously, I went over my plan in my head. It wasn't very complex of meticulously thought out, I admitted, but if it got the job done then who would complain?

There were several things I discovered through the two more weeks at the mansion. There was one way to exit or to gain entrance into the castle: the foyer doors. I snuck a peek or two when walking down to the baths the two Fridays. One could presume that I could make a break for it and escape, but I could make out the outlines of four guards (all hypnotized girls) equipped with iron swords behind the marble pillars facing the doors. I hadn't noticed them before since most of their body was shielded by the supports. They kept the likes of me from freedom.

They wouldn't be there that day, though; however, I assumed that the King's guards would.

Yuka grew thinner and paler. When you're used to those lavish meals given by your master then getting the scraps once again, it could be a serious detriment to your health. I had to look away when I saw her, promising that it would all be over soon.

There were two more Wednesdays. I tried not to think about it as much as possible, but they were always looming in the back of my mind.

Another thing I learned was that Yuka wasn't lying when she said the headaches grew worse. They hit me like a bomb every night, but they were my favorite part of the day. That headache meant I had survived another twenty-four hours. That headache meant that I could have permission to forget where I was or who was waiting for me outside for two blessed minutes. I could forget Len and Gakupo and just wallow in the drum beats against my skull.

I wasn't sitting in my usual spot as the sun went down. We would not have dinner tonight. _Master_ had a guest. I sat steadily right next to the great door of the basement. I knew Miku would be down any second to go to sleep before the King arrived. Under my skirt, a sturdy white card with an intricate _2_ laid there. No one was awake except me. I leaned against the wall, and in the darkness, who could tell my eyes were open? My heart beat fast. My plan was reckless, but the best I could do.

I jumped as the door in front of me slowly swung open. Miku's slender silhouette passed through, and started walking to the center of the room where she would sleep. The door was quickly closing and I swiftly slammed the card on the inner threshold of the thing. The wood and iron slowed as it reached its doorway. It slid into place, but there was no distinct _click_ of the lock.

The folded card kept the iron rod from its hole. The door was not locked.

I truly smiled. It was the first time in eternity that such an emotion caressed my lips. _I can't believe it actually worked!_

Miku, in her possessed stupidity, didn't react to the lack of sound. I held my breath. The room was filled with the steady breathing of hundreds of girls. I stretched my head to find Miku, who was sleeping like a rock after the hard days' work of being Gakupo's head slave. With a sigh of relief, I waited a few more minutes, listening intently against the door.

There were heavy footfalls, then two indistinct footsteps overhead. I heard some jubilant murmuring as Gakupo and his guest walked past the open entrance to the steps. One set of feet stopped. Then the other, hesitantly. There was a deeper speaker who seemed to have asked a question do to the rise in his voice at the end of a sentence. There was silence for a moment then the higher, younger voice gave some sort of answer that, even from where I was, wasn't convincing.

The footsteps continued onward again, most likely going to the dining room. It was time.

I grabbed the door handle and gingerly pushed down then out. The crumpled card fell from its place and the door was a crack open, then an inch, then a foot. It was just enough for me to slip out, so I did.

The steps felt cold and dry against my feet. The candlelight at the end of the tunnel gave a holy glow, like heaven wasn't far away. I would just make it up the stairs, through the halls, into the dining room, and exclaim, "Hey, this duke keeps hundreds of kidnapped girls as sex slaves in his basement, want to see, Your Majesty?" or something like that anyways. I would improvise.

But, as I turned the last corner, a thin hand pressed over my mouth and I was slammed into the wall.

My golden eyes stared into the cold cyan ones of Miku. Her teeth were clenched and she looked as though she was ready to explode.

"You…" she uttered with malice.

I shook my head back and forth, but her grip tightened across my arms, which I just noticed she was holding.

I was a dead woman.


	12. Miku

I was going to get out of this horrid place once for all. I was going to see Len again. We were going to go back to our small clinic, and we were going to be happy. I would see my friends again, and the friends I made here, spoken or unspoken, would be freed from their imprisonment. It was all going to be alright.

But, no.

Every hope and dream of escaping was snatched away from me the instant her cold hands closed around my mouth and my stomach. Fear shot through me like a bullet traveling through my veins. Miku's eyes pierced through my façade of the past three weeks. Every fear and worry appeared in my face all at once. I wasn't sure if what happened next made me even more terrified or not.

Upon seeing my horrified expression, Miku's gaze softened. _What. What. What._

Her first words were hushed and forced, "Calm down. I'm not her, right now."

I stopped struggling and fought tears from escaping. _She's not possessed. She's not-_

"What are you doing?" she questioned. I realized that her eyes weren't filled with hate, but with annoyance. She slowly removed her hand from my mouth, and I let out my held breath.

"I-I was g-going to the K-king, so he could free us," I stumbled across my words.

"Idiot," Miku mumbled, "If you do that, the only thing that you'll succeed in is getting the king and one of us killed."

I blinked several times.

Miku explained, "Gaku…the _duke_ isn't stupid enough to let any witness escape. Any. He would just off him, hand one of us a knife, call in the guards, and she would be executed. The duke would walk scot-free. Oh yeah, and you would die too."

Well, when she said it like _that…_

When I continued to not respond, Miku once again took the wheel.

She sighed heavily, "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just don't want to see any more death."

At those words, I relaxed a little then replied, "It's fine. I was just…was being stupid and didn't think it through. Thank you."

Miku gave a small smile. That small gesture threw waves of comfort over me.

"Is this your first time awake?" Miku asked. I recognized this line of questioning.

"Yes."

"How long has it been?"

"Three-"

"Hours, that's good," she finished for me incorrectly. "This is my fourth time, and mine last for about four hours which are almost up-"

"Not three hours," I interrupted her and was slightly annoyed that I was misunderstood again.

She raised her eyebrows. "Three _days?_ "

I shook my head. "Three weeks. Twenty-three days, actually."

Miku looked at me skeptically, smiling slightly at the notion. Then, she noticed I was serious. Deadly serious. Her smile faded.

"How…?"

It was my turn to explain. "Exactly three weeks ago, Yuzuki Yukari woke up and told me her situation and this visit of the king. She didn't believe I had made it through two headaches and made me promise that I would stay awake and save you all. So… I kind of…did? Besides the saving part, I guess, now."

Miku's initial shock faded, replaced by a weird expression of amazement and jealousy, then pity.

She mumbled, "You shouldn't have tried something so reckless."

"Yes, I should have. I had too! I owed it to Yuka and to my husband back home to try!"

"Well, your efforts are fruitless! There is no escape. It's impossible!"

I paused, shocked at her bluntness. "What do you mean?"

"There's only one exit. That's the one through the ballroom. I'm sure you know that by now. Anyone who knows the secret will either die or be hypnotized themselves! There is no escape. We'll just have to wait for someone on the outside. I'm sure it must hurt like hell to go through the headaches and every…Wednesday, isn't it? You should just cave in to the sleep so you won't have to go through-"

"What are you talking about?!" I finally pulled away from Miku. My shock turned to anger. "I can't just give up! Not now! Even if I have to endure the pain of the past three weeks a thousand times over! I'm not sure about you, but I believe there is always a thing one can do. There is never one option. So, you go give in to the force that wants you here! Unlike you, I will never give up. If my efforts make it possible for living one less day here than being saved by some fantastical hero does, then I'll take it happily. I want to see my husband again as soon as I walk through those God-forsaken doors!"

I was out of breath from my speech. If I was passionate about anything, then this would be the time to show it.

Miku stood flabbergasted. She also replied with resentment, "You think I _don't_ want to see my fiancé? You think I _don't_ want to get out of here and back to…to _Kaito._ Because, I do! You are sorely mistaken if you think I've given up! I just don't want to die!"

"I never said that you didn't want to see your fiancé," I retorted, "But, I would call what you're telling me to do right now giving up. I'm sorry that you've been taken from Kaito…wait, did you say Kaito?"

Her face was still angry, but her shoulders slumped when she heard his name. She nodded.

"With…" I hesitated, "dark blue hair? Tall? Lives in Cercus?"

She kept staring at me for a few moments, then nodded again.

"I met him two months after the disappearances started. He said his fiancé was one of the missing girls. I forgot, I guess…"

I stopped when I saw the tears coming from Miku's eyes. She put her face in her hands. I placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling pity. She seemed anything but terrifying in those moments.

"Th-thank you for the news," she stuttered, "I can't stop you from staying awake. Honestly, it might be a comfort knowing that there would be someone as a safe haven for the few who wake up. I can't guarantee that there is a way out, but if there is, I believe you will find it."

Then a bomb went off in my brain. My hands immediately grasped my head. Miku was doing the same, but I knew mine was worse, much worse. It felt as if a small creature was trying to burrow its way out of my skull. The pain blocked my hearing, but I could tell that Miku was gesturing for me to get out of there.

I nodded and quickly started to make my way back to the staircase. I knew Miku was going to give in eventually, and I didn't want to be there when she did.

I nearly fell down the stairs through the agonizing pain and started to panic when I remembered the locked door, but as I reached the metal handle, it pushed down and caved in. Miku hadn't locked it.

I stumbled through the sea of girls to my window. The headache ceased. Through a blurry gaze, I saw Miku come in shortly afterward, slightly disorientated. I could tell, though, that she was asleep once again.


	13. Through the Eye of the Needle

A month passed by slowly.

After that night I failed to escape from that place, things went back to "normal". My routine I used the first three weeks chugged me along. The only things keeping my sanity were finding an escape route and, of course, Len. The escape route thing wasn't working out so well.

Yes, Fridays went by. Yes, _Wednesdays_ went by. I was on the verge of spitting in Gakupo's face every time I had the misfortune of seeing it. I washed my mouth in the sink in the bathroom every Wednesday night and looked at myself in the mirror, wondering what Len would think.

Len. He was my husband so obviously he was always on my mind. I just couldn't stop asking myself where he was, what was he doing, if he took my disappearance hard (he _better_ have), if he's moved on from me and decided that I'll never be found, good luck Mayu, I'm, like, 80% sure you're dead or something of the sort.

I discovered where the apron girls and the other special occupation women slept and ate. I hadn't thought about it, but I probably should have wondered. One Friday, I walked past a hallway and saw a similar archway and staircase in the wall. An apron girl was walking up. It sent shivers down my spine, knowing that there were _more_ countless girls in a separate basement.

I hadn't given in to the headaches yet _._ I gave that long-winded speech to Miku so I didn't want to be a hypocrite, and basically it was the only good thing I could do. Miku said I would be a safe haven for the girls like her and Yuka when they wake up. None had woken since.

One question tugged at my plagued brain, _How?_ How could he manipulate all these girls, whose population increased over the month? How could he cause such excruciating headaches? How did his eyes gleam red whenever he gives in to his lust? _How, how, how!?_

There was no scientific explanation. That means there had to be a supernatural explanation. My mind reached back years to when I studied folk lore. The only thing I could come up with that had this sort of power was _demons._

I had never believed in such fantasies, but now it seemed impossible to deny it. They were said to be powerful beings who would grant you anything for your soul. The red eyes, the overwhelming yet not unstoppable hypnotism, that face that I so loathed. They were a demon's work. They had to be.

Well, either that or some other creature who had that power that I was unaware of, but demon sounded pretty good to me.

Now, it was a month after talking to anyone openly. Luka had been my _partner_ in Gakupo's exploits, and Yuka had grown gaunt and haggard. She was not receiving the right nutrition. I could see her bones through the skin of her arms, but she never complained.

If my idiotic head couldn't think of a way out of the mansion, then I decided to try to make something better. I decided to help Yuka.

This plan was again not full proof. It was sloppy and if Miku was still aware she would slap me for trying something so risky, but I had to do _something._ I couldn't bear to look at her for more than two seconds. I devised a plan.

It was a Monday. At first, I thought nothing in particular happened on Mondays. They were just another day between Friday and Wednesday. But, there was a small something.

Miku would call up a few more girls than usual on Mondays. I wasn't sure why. I had hardly noticed actually, until I myself was called up on a Monday.

What happened was not what my aching heart thought it was at the time. In fact it was very useful information. Two weeks later, I had fully developed my plan based on this.

So, that Monday was going smoothly. A few extra girls were called up, and ten or so minutes later, they were back down. I waited in anticipation, and finally Miku exclaimed my name.

I hid my smile. _Phase one, complete._

I walked nonchalantly over to the great door where I camped thirty days earlier and went through. Miku followed and muttered under her breath, _klutz._

I, again, hid my smile. She was not conscience of it, but she was still sassy.

I walked up the stairs, Miku tailing me, took a left, traveled past the dining room and into a room adjacent from it. There was no Gakupo that awaited, but another slave sitting down in a rough wooden chair. She had long white hair, an innocent face, and a long slender build. I believed her name was Suzune.

The room was small, could have been a closet, but it was crowded. Five mannequins of the torso of the female body were lined against three of the four walls. Rolls of fabric were piled together around the space. She was a one-woman sewing machine. I could thank her for the garish outfit.

She smiled sheepishly as I took a seat across from her. Miku departed.

A large sewing needle was poised in one hand, and thread of different shades of the same pinkish-gray were strewn about. I wanted to wince at the sight of Suzune's _fingers._

They were raw. The skin seemed to be peeled off from the tips of her fingers. They shook slightly with the needle in hand. She sewed an outfit a day with no thimble, no breaks, and received no appreciation from Gakupo, but she never complained, either. I felt bad for her, of course.

She gestured for me to turn around. I stood up and did so. The reason why I was there was the big rip in the fabric of my back. Mondays were fixing days. I had done this just two weeks beforehand. Yes, Miku, I am such a _klutz._

She shakily felt along the rip and then gestured again for me to get closer so she can sew. I obeyed, but twisted my head around. Her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't seem to put the thread through the eye of the needle. It hurt to watch her struggle, but this was part of my plan.

I fully turned around, and she appeared startled. I squatted down and said as smoothly as physically possible, "How about I sew this back together, so you can rest your hands? That way, you'll be able to make even better quality dresses for dear Gakupo. I'm quite good at sewing, so it would be fine, okay?"

She remained startled, but she slowly nodded her head, processing the idea. I smiled.

"Great. So, I'll take this…" I gingerly picked the needle from her hands. "And you can lay down over there."

I nodded toward the wooden bench squished against the back wall. She nodded slowly again and did so.

I switched seats to the one she was sitting in. _Perfect._

A cupboard obscured the view of the bench Suzune was lying. She couldn't see me.

I cracked my knuckles. _Phase two, complete._


	14. A Small Risk

I found myself back in Venomania.

I didn't know why I kept going back to the dukedom. I just felt like _she_ was there. Not many signs pointed to where I was staying now, but I just had a feeling.

I sat at an inn, staring out the window, consumed with thoughts and memories.

It had been a long time since my wife, Mayu, had gone missing. She was out there, though. I was certain of it. I even made an ally who also believed the Harem Disappearances weren't murders. The government had been calling the case that since it was their theory that the captor (a _male_ they assumed) was raping his victims before…

I didn't want to think about it. Mayu was alive. I was positive. So was my newly-found friend that traveled with me to Venomania. He wanted to move here. That's how sure he was that they were there. I doubted his deductions at first, but that was until a month beforehand.

It was my first trip to Venomania. It panged my heart since I promised Mayu that we would travel there some day together. My companion and I scanned the city, and as I walked past the famous Mansion of the Duke of Venomania, I sensed something undeniable at the corner of my eye.

I swiftly turned to a window on the second floor, but nothing was there. Why did I feel like someone was there?

I was shaken out of my thoughts when a man's voice came from the other room in the inn.

"NOTHING!" he yelled. I could sense the anger from behind the wall. "ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!"

I watched as the blue-haired man stomp into my room, furious. "I was so sure that we would find something this time! Damn!"

I sighed. "Calm down, Kaito."

"How can I calm down?! She's here. I _know_ she is," Kaito ranted.

"Did you check the mansion?" I asked, ignoring his tantrum.

"First place that I went to. All the windows were covered. They won't let anyone in. They say that no one has even _seen_ the duke for a month."

"Doesn't this prove that he is the captor?" I stood from my seat.

"I don't think so. He could just be a weirdo who doesn't like the outside world. With good reason, I'd say."

I sighed again, trying to hide my shaking hands. "We'll see about that."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

I _may_ have lied when I told Suzune that I knew how to sew, but it seemed to come naturally.

My outfit was quite complex. There were three thin layers to the skirt. The base was a white polyester layer. Then, there was a thicker version of the base. Then, there was the satin top which gave the dress its pink-gray color.

The modifications didn't take long. Firstly, I sewed the rip in the back. Not fixing that would definitely raise suspicions. To do that, though, I had to take it off. I leaned back to see Suzune. She was sleeping soundly. I stopped holding my breath.

I quickly threw the outfit back on and shivered. Lifting the first layer, I used sewing scissors to create a new horizontal rip. From the one side of the tear, I created a three-inch line of stitching down my thigh. Then, another horizontal line parallel with the rip. Then, the last line brought the rip and the second line together. This made a square with the top line open. This made a pocket.

I didn't have time to admire my handiwork. I quickly covered the invention with the top layer of the skirt and shook Suzune awake. Her eyes blinked opened, and she thanked me for letting her rest. After promising to not tell Gakupo, I walked back to the dungeon where Miku eyed me suspiciously. I had spent awhile up there.

Acting swiftly and confidently, I ignored her stares and sat down in my signature spot. Now, I had to wait. That was most of what I ever did. Waiting.

It was dinner. I sat stiffly next to Luka near the center of the table. Gakupo's laughter stung my ears, and his name poisoned my mouth when I was forced into frivolous conversations with the women adjacent to me. I nervously ran my fingers along my skirt.

We were having steak, corn, rolls, everything that defines a fancy meal. I, like always, ate little. I sensed the end of the dinner. My hand twitched as I grabbed the roll off my plate. I looked around without moving my head. Everyone was fawning over Gakupo. _Good._

I quickly brought the roll under the table cloth and looked around again. I was clear. I, then, slowly lifted the first layer of my skirt and shoved the roll in my new pocket.

We walked back to our cavern and no one noticed the slight bulge under my dress.

When everyone was sleeping after my nightly headache, I crawled over to Yuka. I placed the roll in between her face and her arm. Then, I lightly tapped her shoulder a few times. I crawled back like my life depended on it, which it did.

I laid my face to the ground with one eye barely open. I could see Yuka blinking awake, confused. She saw the roll, picked it up, and moved around. _Please think that it's from Gakupo and eat it. It's totally from Gakupo so you can definitely eat it, trust me. I don't want you to starve, just EAT IT._

After fruitlessly looking around for a minute, Yuka shrugged her shoulders and took a silent bite out of the roll. Upon swallowing, she smiled.

 _Mission accomplished._

Then, I would do that every night for Yuka. Sure, it was risky, but the only thing I could do in this place was take risks.

I smiled to myself and began to drift off into the heavy sleep I was used to, but an idea popped into my head. Another risky yet seemingly logical idea. I wanted to slap myself for not thinking of it sooner.

I had a pocket. Wednesday was approaching. Gakupo phased out during these times. Dinner tables had knives.

 _Perfect._


	15. A Huge Risk

My hand twitched over the sharp blade. It was just _lying_ there, waiting to be taken. A roll was one thing. A deadly weapon was another.

I looked around the jubilant table once more. Gakupo was ranting about an insolent peasant that wrote to him. The nineteen favorites swooned, laughed, and enthusiastically nodded at the _riveting_ discussion.

I swiftly and gently dragged the knife off the table and looked around again. Carefully, I repeated my actions of a day before, but this time the stakes were much higher. I lifted my skirt and fit the knife in my pocket. About half of the long steak knife stuck out. It had to do.

My nerves were vibrating with anxiety as we began to walk back to the basement. The twisting halls felt like miles. My steps were shaking and careful, trying to hide the fact that I had a steak knife in my dress. I felt like I was going to faint as we finally descended the stairs and made it to the basement. I briskly sat down by my window and silently let out a breath.

This would be my final night here.

The weight of the knife against my skin reminded me all that night what I would do the next day. I smiled when my supposed-to-be last headache came. My second escape attempt seemed full-proof. It was so simple and obvious. All I had to do was stab Gakupo. Kill Gakupo, liberate everyone. I had my motive, opportunity, and murder weapon all laid out.

But, I hated the word, _murder._ It made me sound like I was doing this for malicious purposes, but it was a form of self-defense, right? He deserved it anyways. He kidnapped me, raped me, and was living happily in a huge mansion with giant riches and most certainly women. It was sickening. He most definitely deserved this.

I shook my head. _This isn't for revenge. This is self-defense. This is self-defense._

But, revenge sounded good too.

*******  
My eyes threatened popping out of my head. That day was so intense. I had drifted off to sleep the night before with beautiful thoughts of Len, Yuka, Miku, Kaito, all the people I could see happy.

The moment had come. It wasn't an assumption anymore, it was a certainty that the possession would die with Gakupo. I didn't care that he carried his means (demon or otherwise) to the grave.

It was a wonder how slow time can be. The extra month I waited seemed to be two seconds compared to the first seventeen hours of my tenth Wednesday, my seventieth day. If there was a clock in the huge place, I would have slammed my head against the wall.

One thing caught my attention that day. Gumi. She was the right-hand woman of Gakupo, sitting higher than even Miku. Though, she never did anything different from the other favorites. That intrigued me, but I never had the opportunity to discover anything about it.

Today, she was strange. She sat really close to me, next to Meiko, the other favorite stationed beside me. Gumi was awake before I was which was weird since the catatonic sleep of the curse always brought the others deeper slumber than me.

I decided not to dwell on it. It would all be over soon anyways.

When Miku called my name along with Luka's, my hands twitched on my skirt.

I asked myself one last time if I was sure. Ascertaining my belief, I walked past Miku, slightly ahead of Luka. It scared me how numb I was. It was like I became one of the many zombies around me. No emotion. No uncertainty. Just walking, up the stairs, down the hall, turn, down another hall, there's the stairs to the second floor-

 _CLINK. Clink clink clink clink._

The knife rattled against the floor from the impact of dropping from my pocket.

Mortified. Absolutely mortified.

The rest happened as if in a distant nightmare.

Luka appeared next to me like a flash. One look at my terrified face was answer enough. With an iron grip, she forced my arms behind my back, kicked my left calf. I fell to my knees, tightening her grasp. Then, she grabbed something I couldn't see. It had to be some kind of stone, though. I could tell as the cold, hard thing slammed against my skull and darkness consumed me.

Everything around me was black. There was no floor, or walls, or anything.

I turned to see a beautiful woman with long golden hair and traditional robe. She smirked with contempt, eyes gleaming red.

She whispered one word, " _Sleep._ " Like a snake's hissing. It was a familiar voice. I had heard every night.

I closed my eyes, expecting the explosion of pain that always accompanies this voice, but it never came. When I opened my eyes again…

As if all my senses were compiled in an _on_ switch, my sight, hearing, everything snapped back to life.

It was immensely dark. Only one candle sat in the corner of my peripheral vision. I tried to turn my body toward the ominous light source, but I noticed leather straps tying me to a rough wooden chair. I struggled without progress.

I whimpered slightly at the sight of slightly darker spot along the arms of the seat and the ground. _Blood._

This could not be good. What was Luka going to do with me? I struggled again against the restraints. Useless. Was this my fate? Was all of this meant for nothing?

My rushed breathing stopped as I sensed a dark figure approaching with the candle in hand. She stepped full into view.

Two long cyan pigtails, a custom lace lingerie, a set of piercing dead eyes, and a hatched grasped tightly in one hand.

Fear would never be enough to describe how I felt as Miku slowly put the candle down, placed her hand on my shoulder, and whispered,

"I knew it."

Trembling, defenseless, and utterly screwed, freedom never felt so far away.


	16. Weakness

Nothing restrained my voice, so I screamed.

My tied wrists and ankles pushed and pulled to gain freedom, though I knew that wasn't going to work. It was only me, Miku, and a hatchet pointed my skin. There were only two ways of this ending, me possessed or me dead. I really didn't like the options.

Miku's cold hands slammed against my mouth, and she hissed, "Shut up, you stupid _bitch._ Did you really think you could away with this?"

I only struggled harder. She smirked, and I could see Gakupo through her with that smile. My mind searched fruitlessly for a way of escape. I couldn't believe that after all of what I had done, it was going to end like I always knew it would.

So, would I give in or die?

It was probably the last decision of my life, so I had to make it count. Continue to be raped, traumatized, abused, and liking it, waiting for a nonexistent savior from the outside, or I could die. Just end it all. I would never have to see Gakupo again or see Len's face when I would tell him what happened to me in that mansion…

It was a split second decision.

Miku was still staring into my soul. Her hatchet ripped into my forearm. My scream was muffled by her hand. Then, the headache came.

It had to be ten times worse than the day before. It was something _she_ was doing to me. I found myself slipping into a darkness even blacker than the room I was in. My own screaming seemed far away.

I decided to change my options.

I widened my mouth and bit down as hard as I could against Miku's hand.

I heard her yelp and she pulled her hand away, hatchet falling across the floor. I clenched my teeth as my senses booted back up. I tasted blood. The headache continued, worsened, but I refused to give in. The only other option was die, so I supposed I should better die trying.

My mouth, now free from Miku, began to moving fast.

"Miku, stop this. I know you don't want to do this," I pleaded, "Wake up, please. You can't kill me now. I swear I'll find a way out of here. I promise, I promise, I promise. I'll help other girls who are awake and there'll be no more death. Remember Kaito?"

Throughout my plea, Miku was readjusting herself and retrieving her weapon. Her steps back towards me faltered slightly at Kaito's name.

I took that course. "Yes, Kaito. You'll be able to see him again. He's been looking for you for all this time because he loves you. You love him too. You don't want to be with Gakupo. I know you don't because no one does. So…"

Miku was right in front of me, now. Her hatchet poised in the air, ready to slam itself into my skull. I couldn't hear my own voice because of the banging in my head.

"Please," I whispered, staring her in the eyes, "Don't let him win."

Her arm remained frozen in the air, shaking. Tears slid down her face, though it remained stony. She dropped her hatchet.

I released my breath. I couldn't believe it worked. My mind was numb with disbelief. I held back tears. Never again would I cry because of Gakupo. The pain in my brain ceased.

Miku's arm stayed in the air. She strenuously whispered, "Act asleep."

I didn't have to act. My head fell and I was out like a light.

When I woke up, it was the middle of the night.

The moon shined faintly through the slit windows. I was in my favorite spot. How I got there was a mystery to me. All of what happened in the past day flooded back to me. I looked to where Miku was sleeping soundly. She must be back to her usual self. Her usual self that tried to kill me.

I examined my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the pain in my arm. It was wrapped in bandages, and blood seeped through. It laid limp and frail against the ground. My outfit was longer than I remembered it. I suppose they made me a new one. Everything seemed the same as how I left it. I had survived my second escape attempt.

My spirit was thoroughly broken despite narrowly avoiding death again. How could I escape now?

 _Of course, I promised I would save everyone again._

I felt stupid and helpless. I was so useless. No one had even woken since Miku, there was no way to escape this place, my arm could barely move-

" _Psssst."_

What?

"Oi. You with the cool hair."

What.

"Don't be ignoring me. _You._ "

I turned towards the oddly relaxed voice. The girl closest to me, Meiko, was prostrated against the floor and giving me urgent glances.

My eyes widened. There was another girl _awake_ and talking _way too loudly._

She opened her mouth to talk again, but I covered her mouth with the hand on my good arm.

My voice was barely audible, " _Shut. Up._ "

She seemed surprised. I talked quickly since I had rehearsed this speech for a month.

"Do not let anyone else know about this conversation. Is this your first time here?"

She nodded vaguely.

"You are imprisoned here, and I'm sure you have already noticed that these girls act strange. You're a favorite so you get to eat dinner with Gakupo, our _master._ Somehow, he has control over every girl here and makes them do… _sexual_ things…"

Her body tensed.

"If you let _anyone_ else know that you're no longer possessed, then you will be killed or forced to convert back to that state. You can trust me. I've been at this for a while. Do you want to experience the worst pain in your life every single night until I get everyone out of this mess?"

She obediently shook her head from left to right.

"Then, when it comes, let go. If this happens again, approach me and say 'I heard Gakupo is having a special visitor'. If I don't respond with 'Then, we will have to be extra good', _exactly those words,_ then I have succumbed to the possession. Do not trust me and wait for the headache to come. Do you understand me?"

She nodded. I removed my hand from her mouth and she gasped air. I would have a new friend for a day.


	17. Burn

The night of the portrait burnings arrived.

Meiko sat right next to me most of the following day. It was very usual and unexciting for me except for my barely functional left arm. Meiko, however, was exceedingly curious.

 _Of course she had to wake right after the headaches,_ I thought. She was twiddling her thumbs restlessly. I had to gently slap her wrist every time she did so. I didn't want another Sharon. At least Meiko kept my mind off things.

I reflected on everything that happened the previous day. Luka, the dream, Miku, Meiko. Every time one of those subjects popped in my head, I felt greatly depressed. There was a giant bump on my head from wear Luka whacked me, a scar from wear Miku slashed me, and a headache from Meiko's constant shifting about. Was I like that when I first woke up?

Lunch, boring.

It seemed like just another day in sex slave-ville. The only thing that worried me was dinner. I didn't really have the opportunity to go too much into detail in my evening discussion with Meiko. Basically, it was "Follow my lead." It seemed like she had something she really wanted to tell me, though.

I took a deep breath when I noticed Meiko tapping her feet against each other. I knew this was hard on her, so I gingerly placed my hand on her foot, and she stopped. I gave her a look of _possessed slaves don't tap their feet._

She nodded, and I looked around for the umpteenth time that day to check if anyone noticed. I jumped when the great door opened, revealing Miku.

"Come."

We came, me giving reassuring glances at Meiko, who awkwardly followed behind me.

Meiko was three seats down from me at the dinner table. I nervously checked on her every couple minutes. She was dangerously close to Gakupo. If the night could have been more out-of-schedule, Gakupo stood after the majority of the meal was finished.

"Attention~!" He exclaimed. "We have a _special_ event tonight. I want all the favorites to be there." _Kill me now,_ I thought.

But, for some reason, Gakupo's voice lost some of its flare with the last statement. It was unnerving.

"So, I want all of you to meet me in the parlor in one hour."

We all nodded.

"Oh, yes, and Mayu," he added, still standing, "Glad to have you back."

I just smiled. Smiled and smiled and smiled.

 _I'm glad to be back, Gakupo-sama._

Meiko was shaking slightly at the obvious turn in events. By the time we reached the basement, most of the girls were fast asleep.

She continued her nervous ticks for a while until I mouthed to Meiko, "Calm down. The headache will come before we have to go anyways."

Meiko nodded in understanding. She looked around the room and motioned with her hand for permission to speak. I found that funny since she was obviously older than me.

I nodded.

"I think there's something you should know," she mouthed.

I rose my eyebrows.

She pointed to Gumi, "Do you know she's awake, too?"

My eyes widened. _No, no I didn't know._

I shook my head.

The door clanked open again. Miku gestured for us to go. Meiko cast me a look of _you told me the headache would come by now._

I shrugged. It hadn't been an hour. That was for sure. A new problem presented itself: what if the headache came while we were doing whatever the hell we were doing. It would force me to give in and pose danger to Meiko…and possibly Gumi.

We played along, and I eyed Gumi the whole way to the "parlor". Two girls waking at the same time? It didn't seem plausible until I remembered the day before when Gumi was acting strange. But, that would mean she made it through one night…

I noticed that all the windows in the halls were now covered in curtains or drapes. The only light was from candles scattered everywhere. The twenty favorites stopped at double doors. Miku pushed them inward to reveal Gakupo standing in the center of the room, looking into a giant fireplace. I could feel the heat from the flames as we filed in.

"Hello, ladies," Gakupo greeted rather seriously. He, once again, didn't seem as cheerful as he usually was. I loved it.

We made a semi-circle around the fireplace and Gakupo. Picture frames laid across the ground and leaned against the wall. I could only see the backs of them. Then, the headache came.

Meiko only flinched once, and her eyes immediately relaxed. Gumi did the same. _So, she was awake, huh?_

That left me.

I was in the corner of the circle and in the shadows, anticipating this. I clenched my teeth and balled my hands into fists. Gakupo remained staring at the light. My balance tilted slightly, but it was gone in seconds. That wasn't normal. _Perhaps I get a break after yesterday's headache?_

Gakupo finally broke his trance and looked around the room. He smiled unconvincingly.

"Hand me one," he commanded and gestured towards the upside-down frames.

Miku gave him the first one. He turned to look at its contents. I could only catch a glimpse of the painting of a young man with long purple hair and a mischievous smile. _Gakupo for sure._

He smiled reminiscently for a moment, but then it faded into a scowl as he threw it into the flames.

"This is the new me," he mumbled under his breath, but I could certainly hear it. "Burn."

The girls started going around in the circle, handing Gakupo another one of his portraits. They ranged from him as a toddler to one that was probably done the same year. I was the last one to hand him a heavy frame and was able to watch the bleeding paint as the canvas turned to ash. I realized only Gakupo and I would remember this.

I walked back to my spot. All the paintings were gone. Only ash and a broken man remained, but also another thing.

She appeared out of nowhere. That woman with long golden hair and the robe stood right next to Gakupo, smiling, red eyes glowing. She watched the flames consume the scraps.

She laughed in her snake-like way. "Burn."


	18. Childhood Friend

I was alone.

That was the first thought that occurred to me that day.

It wasn't that big of a deal, though. I _had_ been alone for...

I checked the fingernail scratches I etched into the wall.

193 days, then. Four months since my second escape attempt, six months since I had woken up in Gakupo's mansion.

I wish I could say that the four months were easier than the first two, that I grew numb to every Wednesday gathering, that I just didn't care anymore, that my spirit remained strong and patient as the days grew longer and the weather hotter, but I can't.

No one had woken since Gumi and Meiko. Gakupo received no guests, hosted any banquets. He barely even went outside anymore. The only time the front doors opened was when a fresh new woman came into the dungeon. I wished I could remember all their faces.

Boredom was a problem. To make sure I wasn't going insane, I recited medical knowledge in my head and envisioned pleasant memories of my old life. _His_ face, my husband's face, had to cross my mind a thousand times a day, making every living moment more painful. A savior had yet to come.

It was a Tuesday, my 193rd day. Nothing special was happening, just sitting and waiting, loathing. Miku called the favorites up for dinner. I stood up with the set that had changed over the four months. Miku, Gumi, Luka, Meiko, and I remained, however.

I walked emotionlessly with the others, my left arm not swinging with the right. I hated looking down at the five-inch scar running down my forearm. I sat, I ate, I got up, I smiled, I walked, I sat, headache. All that was left was sleep. Then, the cycle would continue the next day.

But, that didn't happen.

I was preparing for sleep, nuzzling up against the stone wall under the slit window that brought in hints of moonlight. I could hear the harem's deep breathing behind me. Everyone was asleep. I thought.

I twitched as something soft and cold gently touched my back. I remained frozen. Then, whatever it was tapped my back again, this time more swiftly. I slowly turned my head around.

For the first time in a very long time, I was surprised.

Gumi sat next to me with calculating eyes and pursed lips. Her short green hair was tucked behind her ears, and her wide eyes made her look innocent. I wasn't really happy or sad, just surprised.

I sat up and whispered as softly as possible, "I see. How many times have you been awake, how long have you been awake this time, do you need to me to explain how things go around here, what?"

I regretted being so blunt and snippy. It had been a while since I had actually spoken to someone. She was silent.

"Sorry," I apologized and took a deep breath, "My name's Mayu. I know yours is Gumi. Do you know where you are?"

Finally, Gumi spoke.

"Of course. This is Gakupo's mansion."

I looked as skeptically as she was looking at me. We seemed to be analyzing each other.

Gumi talked again, "What happened to your arm?"

"Miku."

"Who?"

"Cyan hair. Pigtails. Death stare. Third in command next to Gakupo and _you,_ " I replied.

She squinted. "Really?"

"Yep."

This was an awkward conversation for sure. I hadn't expected my next one to be so rough.

I continued, "Do you have any idea why you would be Gakupo's ultimate favorite?"

"Hmph. I suppose it's because I used to be friends with him, but… I kind of messed up." she answered.

"You _knew_ him? Before he became… _that?_ " I asked.

"Yeah," she mumbled. She seemed more depressed than me. "His _only_ friend, actually. Back then, he wasn't related to any aristocracy. It wasn't until his mother married the old duke. So, everyone made fun of him since his mother was a prostitute."

 _Makes sense._

"Anyway, people started making fun of me since I was his friend, so I insulted him in front of every kid in the town pretty harshly... I never saw him again in person until, well, the last time I woke up…"

"Four months ago," I finished.

"Really? And you have been awake all this time?"

"Yeah. About half a year now. So, the old duke married a prostitute?"

"I suppose they kept it under wraps. They made it look like Gakupo was always the duke's child. I heard they even painted portraits of him as a kid and hung them up like they were painted when he was that age. I was really surprised when I read in a newspaper one day that the new heir to the dukedom was my old childhood…friend."

She seemed to be thinking back to what she did. I tried to comfort her. "That was a long time ago. You were both kids and, well, he apparently wasn't the best of people anyways."

"You could say that again."

For the first time in a really long time, I smiled sincerely.

"Well, I suppose we can go to sleep now. You sort of know the drill, right?"

"Yeah. Act like we're under the control of the all-powerful Gakupo, eat dinner, and then let go when the headache comes? Forgive me, but I don't really want to be in your shoes."

"I suppose you don't. You can sit near me tomorrow, but I'll be going to his…chambers tomorrow," I said darkly.

"O-oh…I see."

"Lament later, when we're out of here. Whenever that will be. My last escape attempt wasn't all too successful." I motioned to my scarred arm.

"You're working on getting us out of here?"

"Working, yes. Achieving, no. There's only one way in and out of this place, and it's heavily guarded. I don't get how-"

"Two," Gumi interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"There are _two_ ways out of here, you mean. The front entrance and the old servant's entrance connected to the dining room."

"What?"

"The front entrance and the one connect-"

"I-I heard you," I stuttered. "But…but, _what?_ "


	19. Free

The stone wall under my window read 200.

I wasn't there at the moment, though. I was against the wall right next to the single exit from the basement. Muffled rain pounded against the roof. It had been a week since Gumi informed me of my salvation: a second exit.

This was an important night.

:-:-:-:-:-:

The calendar above my window read July 23rd.

I sat in a comfortable chair in my inn room. I stared at the pouring rain outside. It was the same inn we always used. Kaito wasn't in at the moment, which was good. I chugged down the rest of my cup of tea and stood up.

This was an important night.

:-:-:-:-:-:

My plan was quite similar to my first. Hopefully, it wouldn't fail like last time. If it did, I knew I wouldn't make it out alive.

I waited patiently for the heavy _clunk_ that meant the door was opening. When it finally did and Miku strutted through, I took out the towel I had stolen from the bathroom that same day and pressed it against the threshold.

It didn't close all the way like I knew it would. Even if it was a while ago, I distinctly remembered my first escape attempt.

But, this wouldn't be like the others. This would be my last either way.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Next to the burning fireplace, I walked up to the great board that had notes, sketches, newspaper articles, names, and thread connecting them to each other. It was my composition of everything that I discovered from the Harem Disappearances. An accumulation of all the work I had done since I started.

She vanished from my life exactly one year ago.

What had I done in this year? Nothing. I had accomplished absolutely nothing. Kaito hadn't either, though he never admitted it. We were just two lost fools who can't get over our lovers' abductions, no, deaths.

I was done.

:-:-:-:-:-:

The door seemed heavier than last time. Granted, I had probably lost a bit of weight. I hauled it open, slipped through, and began to ease the door to a close.

My mind was buzzing with excitement and fear. I couldn't get my hopes up too much, but when the heavy slab of wood closed, and I waited for a few moments, listening for any sign of movement from inside and nothing came, I was near struck down with relief and hope.

It all worked out until it didn't.

I backed up the stairs slowly. Then, when I was certain that no psycho woman was going to pounce on me, I turned to walk up the stairs normally.

But, the craziest psycho woman of them all wasn't going to let me go so easily.

:-:-:-:-:-:

I took out the first pin that was holding a sketch of Gakupo's mansion in place. Slowly, I side-stepped to the fireplace and through it in.

I had given up on finding Mayu. She was dead. She had to be. I was going to burn every sign of this maze with no exit. I couldn't take it anymore.

It would only bring more pain.

I jumped as I heard the door to my room open.

:-:-:-:-:-:

I nearly tripped down the stairs when I heard the door open.

It was too terrifying to be true. This wasn't happening. None of this was happening. It was a dream, a nightmare. I would wake up next to Len and tell him all about this vivid and scary dream that I was convinced for the longest time was real. Miku was not standing behind me.

I dared a glance.

She most certainly was. She looked at me, smiled, and didn't say a word.

I didn't scream, just ran. Our breathing and our feet pounding against the slick stone steps were the only things I heard. I stumbled across every other step. Why did the stairs seem to go for miles?

I was keeping my distance. Miku seemed right behind me. I stole another glance. She stared at me with determined, almost entertained, eyes that dared me to trip.

Finally, I reached the top of the stairs. Immediately, I sprinted towards the dining room. I turned a corner and slid behind a wall before Miku could see. I held my breath.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Kaito's voice boomed, "Len! I found something about the first girl! Gumi Megapoid, remember?"

I cursed under my breath and silently ran behind a wall. I really didn't want to deal with him right now. I would have liked to let go of my past without him reeling me back in.

"Len?" he called when I didn't answer.

His head popped behind the wall. He sighed. "Why are you hiding?"

:-:-:-:-:-:

Her head slithered behind the wall. She smiled. "Why are you hiding?"

I kicked her in the shins and took off again.

Down the hall, down the hall. The dining room.

I ripped open the door and kept running. I could hear Miku scream with rage behind me, but she was far away. I had a chance.

I nearly had a heart attack when I found out.

There were three doors leading out of the dining room. The one I came in, and the two in front of me.

 _Uh. Uh. Which one, which one? Shit._

I yanked open the one on my left and went.

The hallway was short and stopped at an old rugged wooden door. I tried the handle, didn't work. There was a tiny window in. I stretched to look inside. It was a library. Wrong one. I could tell by the echoing of footsteps that Miku was in the hallway now. I had no escape.

:-:-:-:-:-:

"I give up," I put bluntly.

"What?" Kaito asked.

"I'm done searching for them. If the police can't do it, then what do you expect us to do? We've made no progress, and it's been a year since Mayu disappeared. A year!" My voice steadily grew louder throughout the rant.

Kaito looked ticked off. "Oh, I see. You're giving up on your wife now, are you? You're willing to let her suffer because it's too hard on you? I can't believe-"

"THEY'RE DEAD!" I screamed. "THEY ARE DEAD! I DON'T CARE WHAT FALSE HOPE YOU HAVE, BUT MAYU'S DEAD AND MIKU'S DEAD! GET IT THROUGH YOUR SKULL!"

Kaito was taken aback. I felt instantly guilty for snapping.

"Listen, you can look for them if you want-"

"No," Kaito interrupted.

"What?"

"No. I'm gonna take a walk. When I get back, I really hope you will have seriously thought this through not just for Mayu, but for the hundreds of girls that are missing."

I fell silent. He opened the door and began to exit.

"W-what about an umbrella?" I asked weakly.

"Don't need one," he replied sharply.

:-:-:-:-:-:

I was cornered.

I couldn't open the door, I couldn't do anything except one crazy, insane, act that could cost me my life. If I waited for my fate, that would happen anyway, so might as well.

I could see Miku had obtained a knife. Must have been from the set dining table. I didn't care anymore.

I charged at her and screamed. She seemed a little surprised at my actions.

My body collided with hers, pushing her out of the way, but she was swifter than me. I felt a sharp pain in my side, but my momentum let me keep running. I wasn't trapped anymore, but the red liquid coming from my side was Miku's gift.

:-:-:-:-:-:

I had gotten back to my sulking and burning. I didn't care what Kaito said. I didn't want to relive the pain over and over again. I didn't want to remember the second I came home and realized she wasn't there or when the last words she told me were "Don't follow me!" and I didn't. I should have.

I watched as the last remaining scraps burned in the fireplace.

 _She's dead. She's dead. She's dead._

:-:-:-:-:-:

 _Not. Dead. Yet._

I told myself as I made it to the second door connected to the dining room, the correct door. Miku was walking slower now. I suppose she thought she had already won.

I opened the door with one hand, the other clutching my left side. Then, I ran again.

I suddenly felt really tired. My breathing became rougher. Spots blurred my vision every few second. The pain in my side became an ache throughout my whole body. I didn't care.

Miku was now fast-walking. I was still going with all my might. I saw another wooden door similar to the other, there was a window. I could see the rain falling against the darkness of the night. It was the right door.

I made it to the handle and squeezed.

It was locked. It wasn't working.

:-:-:-:-:-:

It wasn't working.

I thought by burning everything and commanding myself to let go that I would. Why wasn't it working? Why can't I be at peace?

 _Mayu. Where are you?_

:-:-:-:-:-:

 _It is RIGHT THERE._

I pounded the door. Miku's steps sounded closer. Any second now, I would be gutted like a fish.

I punched the door.

New tactic.

I put all my energy into my right shoulder and slammed my body against the door. I did it again. And again. The hinges began to break.

:-:-:-:-:-:

I began to break.

:-:-:-:-:-:

It happened.

One last slam sent me spiraling through the door. I felt rain against my face for the first time in who knew how long.

I turned back to see Miku, face twisted in fury, standing in the threshold of the door. _She's not allowed outside. Oh my God, she's not allowed outside._

She turned back into the mansion and ran.

I got up and limped behind a house so Gakupo wouldn't see me.

I fell to my knees and stared up at the sky, my arms hanging like weights.

Then I cried, not because of Gakupo, but because of me.

 _I am free._

:-:-:-:-:-:

 _I will never be free._


	20. The Long Mile

The rain felt brilliant.

For a moment, the world stopped. My worries stopped, my pain stopped, my mind stopped. It was just…peaceful.

The moment was short-lived.

I was still staring at the sky, still crying when a man's voice shocked me out of my numbed state.

"Shouldn't you have an umbrella?"

My head lolled to the side to see a man standing a few feet from me. The street lamp told me his hair was blue. It took me a minute to realize who he was and to convince myself he wasn't a hallucination. It was Kaito.

"Could say the same to you," I answered after noticing the absence of one on him. All the pain that was momentarily gone flooded back in. I quickly put pressure on the gaping hole in the side of my stomach.

He probably could tell the strain in my voice. "Hey, are you okay?"

Kaito walked closer. I didn't really have the energy to answer anymore. I was really tired again.

I barely croaked out, "S-s-stab."

"What?" He questioned and bent down right beside me. His eyes widened when he saw the blood steadily pouring out of me. I began to rock back and forth, my body not quite sure which way was best to fall. "Holy shit. What happened?"

I didn't answer.

"Oh, God. Okay. I'll get you to a doctor right away. Just…" Kaito lifted me up and placed my arm around his shoulders and he began supporting me in a direction away from Gakupo's mansion.

 _Doctor._ "L-Len?" I asked. My mind was foggy. I didn't actually believe that because Kaito was there, Len would as well, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

"Yes. Dr. Kagamine. How did you know…?"

I began hacking. The darkness on my hand told me that blood was coming out of two places now. We had to hurry.

"What's your name?" He asked.

 _So tired…_

I blinked a few times. I had to stay awake or I would go into shock. So, we kept walking. He would take me to Len.

The rain pounded hard against my skin, but it still was the nicest I had felt for a long time. Even with the black-looking liquid pouring out my stomach.

At that point, I honestly couldn't feel the wound anymore. My vision slipped in and out of focus as I trudged along the stone roads in darkness, leaning on the blue-haired man next to me.

"We're almost there. Hang on," he encouraged.

I felt like sleeping. I knew I was moving slower than when I started. I was a nurse. I knew when I could faint from blood loss and eventually die. I was way beyond that point, but I still walked.

"Can you tell me your name, yet?" he asked.

I didn't feel like talking, but I barely whispered, "Mayu Kagamine."

He paused for a second, dumbfounded probably. I winced from the sudden stop. He quickly recovered, and we continued.

"M-Mayu? Kagamine? Len's wife that disappeared a year ago?" Kaito could not hide his excitement. "You're not dead. Oh gosh, I can't believe this. Len's gonna have a heart attack. I'll get you to him really soon. I promise. You probably don't remember me. I'm Kaito. We met a long time ago. A-are the other girls that are missing alive as well?" He searched my face, taking in my features.

I swallowed and tried to prepare myself for speech. It was slurred but I managed, "N-n-not all of th-them." _But Miku is very alive,_ I wanted to finish, but I began coughing again.

Kaito trembled slightly.

"But," I gasped, "Miku…" I swayed.

"Miku? You know about Miku? What happened? Is she okay? Is she alive?" Kaito asked all at once.

"A-alive." _So alive that she was able to stab me._

Kaito released his breath. I could tell he was crying now. I gave him a drunken smile.

 _So tired…_

"Thank you," he mumbled. I barely caught it from the sound of the storm. A thunder clap made Kaito jump. The flash of light blinded me.

We remained silent for a while. I didn't mind the pain in my feet or my side. I really couldn't feel anything at that point. It was like I was in a dream. I was so afraid that it was a dream, that I would wake up in that basement again. My cloths clung to my skin and the blood wasn't helping.

I vaguely noticed Kaito's mouth moving. I knew he was talking, but I couldn't make it out…

The world was fading into a deeper darkness. I wasn't sure if my eyes were open or not. I was slipping…

I believed Kaito was grasping my shoulders now. It was hard to tell, but I thought he was yelling at me. I grasped on to a few phrases.

"…don't want this…stay with…please…Len…"

"Len?" I focused my energy into my senses, making out a shape of a man in front of me.

"Yes! Len is waiting for you right now. We're just a few blocks away. You can do this!" The figure's voice told me.

"Does he…does he still love me?"

The figure paused. "Yes. He loves you so much. He's never stopped loving you."

I was crying again. I couldn't stop now, not after the headaches and the scars and the pain. I could not stop now.

I wrenched my eyes open, seeing a blurred image of blue and black. "Take me to him."

Kaito hauled me up and half-supported, half-dragged me across the last few roads.

We stopped in front of a small building. My heart pumped at a mile a minute. Kaito started banging on the door.

"OI! LEN! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! I DON'T CARE WHAT PRISSY MOOD YOU'RE IN! I HAVE SOMEONE FOR YOU!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

We waited for what seemed like an eternity. "DAMN I-!"

The door swung open. Len stood there, looking tired and defeated, his eyes downcast. It looked like he had been crying. His eyes slowly made their way up to my face. He gasped. I was filled with such elation.

Tearing away from Kaito, I stepped slowly towards Len. He was still frozen with disbelief. I shakily put my hands around his neck.

Everything went black.


	21. Pain

I opened my eyes. Blackness surrounded me. It reminded me of a similar dream I had four months earlier. Turning around, a ravine stood right in front of me. For some reason, the darkness was more intensified down the steep drop.

I sensed a presence and looked around to see the beautiful woman with the long blonde hair and red snake's eyes.

The demon smirked. "You've made it a long way," she hissed.

She went on before I could answer, " _But,_ I think it's time our game draws to a close."

Just like that, I could feel a knife going through my side. It was the same pain I thought I escaped from moments ago when I was enveloped in blissful sleep.

"You can make it all go away if you just do one. Little. Thing," she purred and took a step towards me. I couldn't take a step back because of the hole behind me. I clenched my side. There was no wound, just the pain.

" _Sleep."_

An eruption of voices in my head repeated the same word over and over again. _Sleep._

This sleep would be a bit more permanent.

 _Come one, Mayu._ She spoke in my head. _You won't have to deal with this pain anymore. Physical or psychological. You won't have to tell Len you're dirty, tainted. You filthy slut. Sleep._

I closed my eyes and squatted down, grasping my skull. I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping someone would hear it.

Wind rushed through my ears. Everything was a perfect quiet. I opened my eyes.

I was in a small room. The dawn light illuminated the room. Len was there, kneeling beside a single bed against a wall. I laid there, pale and dormant. Most of the blood had been washed off all the visible places, but I certainly didn't look so good.

Len grasped onto my hand. He was shaking, crying. The silence was broken.

"Please," he sobbed, "Don't go."

I blinked and was back to darkness. The pain was back, and now a piercing headache began. Worse than any other I had to endure. The whispers started again immediately.

 _Sleep. Sleep. You want the pain to stop, right? You want the pain to stop. You want the pain to stop. You want the pain to stop._

"I…" I gasped, "want…the pain…to stop."

 _Yes! Yes, you do. You just have to walk over the ledge-_

"I want… _their_ pain to stop."

Tears ran down my face. I began to sob hysterically.

"GET OUT!" I yelled in between sobs. "GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!"

I sensed pure anger. Then, it was gone.

I opened my eyes and gasped for breath. I wasn't in darkness anymore. I was in a bed. I sat up. The sheets were wet from sweat, and my eyes were blinded by the morning sun. It had been a long time since I had seen the sun in all its glory.

"M-Mayu…?"

I turned my sight from the window to the man right beside me. My husband. His voice trembled.

I noticed the water coming from my eyes, too. I nodded.

He slowly put his hand against my cheek. I held onto to it and nodded again. Len pulled me into a long kiss.

Mere words could not describe the emotions I felt at that moment. I was so happy, my heart felt like it was going to burst.

He then hugged me. I wrapped my arms around his torso. Six months, I waited for this moment. Six months, I waited to touch Len again.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," He kept repeating over and over.

I didn't even notice the immense pain in stomach until our reunion was quickly pulled to an end when Kaito skipped into the room with woman's clothing and more medical supplies.

"Len! She awake yet?!" he chimed.

He abruptly stopped when he noticed the obvious lovely scene he just crashed.

"O-oh, sorry. Uh, good to see you're alive, er-I mean, awake. Your life was perfectly safe. We totally knew you were going to make it. One-hundred percent, yep," he stuttered

Len retreated from the hug, looked at me in the eyes for a few seconds, then turned to Kaito.

He just sighed.

"So…" Kaito drawled, "Mayu, you would happen to know the whereabouts of the other captured girls and you know, Miku, right?"

"Kaito! She just woke up. Don't interrogate her," Len shot.

"I'm not interrogating!"

"It's fine," I interjected. My voice was hoarse. "It's fine. I'll tell you…everything." I avoided Len's worried gaze. Cracking a fake smile, I added, "Ask away."

Len sat on the bed next to me and held my hand. I could tell he was dying to know, too.

"Okay," Kaito began, "Who stabbed you?"

"Well…that's a difficult question," I replied. I really didn't want to say Miku without some background. "Different one?"

He sighed. Len shot him a pissed-off look.

"Who kidnapped you?"

I swallowed. "The Duke of Venomania. Gakupo-sam…Gakupo."

"I knew it," Len breathed.

"Where are the others? You said not all of them survived?" Kaito continued.

"They're all in his mansion. Some of them were killed because they…rebelled in a way."

"In a way?"

I really didn't want to say that we were all possessed because of a demon. I really, really didn't want to say that.

"Yeah…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Kaito!" Len interrupted. " _Do not_ pressure her."

"Fine," he relented, "Why did he capture you?"

I didn't want to answer that even more. Len looked at me, concern, regret, and sadness etched all over his face. I could tell he dreaded the answer.

I dreaded the answer too. I held in tears.

"I…would have stopped it from happening, but…I would have been killed. He _captured_ me because he…liked me if that answers your question," I avoided eye contact with Len. He was trembling again.

He was whimpering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Again.

Kaito seemed drained. He was pale and supported himself against a wall.

"Does that mean…?"

"Miku too," I said, "And Luka, and Meiko, and Yuka, and Gumi, and the other hundreds of girls there. But, I don't think they'll remember it though. That's a good thing. _They_ won't remember."

"What…?"

I didn't hear the rest of the question as an explosion of pain came from my skull. I was confused. It wasn't even night time.

I had escaped, wasn't I free?


	22. Madness

I waited for the pain to stop. It wouldn't.

It had to be ten times longer than any other I had experienced. Was it the demon, or a matter of perception?

 _You thought you could damn the damned? You are indeed a hilarious girl. It's time to go to sleep now. Sleep. Sleep._

My eyes were open, but all I saw were splotches of color. Faintly, someone was yelling in the distance. A man, Len? I couldn't really tell.

It stopped as sudden as it came. My ears were ringing. Len was in front of me, screaming my name. Somehow, my hands were wrapped around my skull. They were trembling, I put them on my lap, and I fell to the side and slept.

******  
After a dreamless sleep, I woke up.

The early morning light was gone, replaced by the consuming darkness and ominous moonlight of night. I was in the same bed. Len was knelt down next to it, head on the mattress, asleep. There was a clock on the opposite wall that read 4 am.

My side ached, and I winced. My stomach rumbled. It had been more than twenty-four hours since I ate. I wasn't sure what to do at that point. Deciding to let Len sleep, I turned on my side and stared at him for a while. I told myself to not be afraid of the demon's messages. As long as I held my ground, I would remain free. She was tied to the mansion like Miku. I ran my hand through Len's golden hair.

 _A year, huh?_ I thought.

Len stirred. I quickly pulled my hand away, feeling slightly guilty for waking him up. He didn't seem to have slept at all the night before.

"Mayu?" he whispered and shot up.

"Yeah. Right here," I responded.

He let out a sigh of relief. "You're awake."

"Yes. Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine as long as you're okay now. What happened?"

I sat up and rested my head against the head board. "It's kind of hard to explain…"

"I'm listening."

I sighed. "It sounds pretty absurd and impossible, actually. So, please, trust me."

"Of course."

"Well…" _Demons sounded a lot saner a while ago._ "Kaito told me I was gone a year, right?"

"Yes," Len replied darkly.

"For me, it was six months... I woke up half a year ago in Gakupo's mansion with no memory of how I got there or the months previous. One second, I was walking in the rain, trying to get home. The next, I was looking out a window with Gakupo behind me. And, well…"

Len had been listening intensely through the explanation. His silence urged me to go on.

"Every night I had a headache for a few minutes. Each night it grew worse, a-and there's a voice in my head that keeps repeating " _sleep"_ while that happens. But, if I sleep, I'll be like the others."

"The others?" Len finally spoke up.

"They don't know what they're doing. They're not in control, but… Miku is the one who stabbed me. Wait, let me explain!"

"How do I look?" Kaito asked.

"Beautiful."

"Fabulous."

The clock on the wall read 3 am. It was the next day. Len stayed by my side during another gut-wrenching headache. I still couldn't grasp that they believed me. I guess they were willing to believe anything in explanation to these mass disappearances. Kaito had come in at some point during my talk with Len. I didn't think I would ever tell them everything that happened to me, but I said enough.

Hours of reveling and planning later, I was finally in clean cloths, Len refused to let go of my hand, and Kaito was wearing a dress.

We came quite a way in three days.

Kaito's blue hair was covered now in a long blonde wig. He wore a beautiful blue dress with a white parting down the middle and a black sash around the waist. Also, a white cravat and black bow were twisted around his neck. His white-gloved hands were positioned against his chest where a silver blade was hidden.

It was time.

I found it a little sad that no one objected to killing Gakupo. Not even the pacifist, Len. Kaito was the first one who asked how to release them. I reluctantly gave them the only option. He seemed satisfied enough. Somehow, _this_ was the outcome of our meeting.

"Well," Kaito said, "let's go then."

We stepped outside into the cool night air. Len and I walked a few meters behind Kaito. The streets were abandoned. The fire in the streetlamps flickered from the wind. We walked in anticipation for about twenty minutes until Gakupo's extravagant mansion came into view. From the outside, it looked very stately.

Len and I slipped behind a house close to the entrance. We nodded to Kaito, and he sashayed to the grand double doors that loomed in the darkness.

I held my breath as he knocked. A rectangular slot opened. I imagined one of the guard girls' dead eyes requesting a name. It was earlier than normal, but since there were some special cases (Luka and various other exceptions throughout the months), I believed it wouldn't be too questioned. The early or late ones usually became favorites anyways.

They seemed to be standing there for ages. Finally, one of the doors opened a crack and Kaito slipped through. All that was left to do was trust him.

I expected it to take at least a few hours for Kaito to confront Gakupo. I was wrong.

Only a minute after the door closed, I heard screaming. _A lot_ of screaming. I ran towards the doors, dragging Len along with me.

"Mayu, wait!" he gasped.

He didn't understand. I _had_ to see this.

I got to the doors, and they were unlocked. I ripped them open and was immediately frozen in my tracks.

Kaito's wig was on the floor. His knife was still in his chest as he looked Gakupo in the eyes and smiled. The guards were screaming their faces off. Gakupo was utterly confused. He looked at the knife, then Kaito, then Len and me in the entrance.

Kaito pulled out the blade. Gakupo fell to his knees. _Being stabbed doesn't feel very nice, does it Gakupo?_

Blood was pouring from his chest and dripping from his mouth. As it hit the floor, the crimson turned to a glowing purple.

I nearly was blasted off my feet. A volcano of pain started to flow through my head. The guards around me seemed to be experiencing the same thing. I screamed. I could hear the agonizing yells of hundreds of other girls echoing through the hallways.

One more entity was screaming, too, though it was full of wrath and fury. I could hear the blonde demon's cries as clear as day. She screamed and screamed until Gakupo was lying on the floor, clinging to life.

When it stopped for the last time. I could feel the weight of my entire body and soul being lifted. At some point, I had knelt to the ground. Len shakily helped me up.

"I'm fine. I'm fine now," I reassured him.

The guard girls were laying on the ground and kept blinking.

"What?" one of them whispered, "When did I…?"

I heard the footsteps of many different sets of feet. Soon, women appeared on both sides of the ballroom, immensely dumbfounded and confused. Kaito stopped staring at the pitiful man below him when a set of cyan pigtails stumbled from the crowd.

"Miku?" Kaito asked as he stepped towards the smiling girl. She almost looked like a different person with the huge grin on her face.

"Kaito!" she exclaimed and ran towards him.

He caught her in his arms, and they remained like that for a while.

I stumbled towards the crowd with Len by my side and announced, "Everyone! I know you must be confused, but for now, all you need to know is that you're safe. You can return to your loved ones. You may have been gone a long time. Please, exit through the doors over there. We'll explain later."

Some hesitantly nodded and did as they were told. Yuka, Meiko, and Luka stopped in front of me though.

"Mayu?" Luka asked.

"Hey, Luka!" I replied as cheerful as possible. It wasn't that hard.

"How…?" She began.

"I'll tell you how," interrupted Yuka, "Mayu kept her promise, right?" she smiled.

"Yes. I suppose I did," I smiled back.

The multitude of girls filed out. All that was left was Gumi, Kaito, Miku, Len, and myself.

"Thank you," Miku told me sincerely and hugged me, Kaito by her side. "And sorry for, you know, stabbing you."

"No hard feelings. Trust me," I accepted.

The fiancées smiled and left hand-in-hand. Gakupo was, sadly, still alive. He was coughing out his last breaths. Gumi stood above him, staring.

"Come on," I whispered to Len.

He nodded and pulled me closer as we walked out of that God-forsaken mansion.

Gumi was the last to leave. I was standing right outside the door, so I barely caught his last words to Gumi.

"Wait! I haven't told you yet that I love you!"

I opened my eyes again. It was like last time, though the room now was purple. It reminded me of the color of a certain duke's hair from long ago. I felt my now young face. It was indeed like last time. I found myself smiling. I met Len again. I fell in love with him again. That made me happy.

I decided to take in my surroundings. Like last time, the only item in the room was a single wooden chair. Two rings were attached to the ground. I hadn't figured out what they were for yet. The room was pretty small. Bigger than a closet, like a small bedroom.

I walked to the center of the room and sat down. I may have to wait for awhile. I hoped beyond hope that the next one would end like this one.


End file.
